The National Congress of Paraguay has launched a public tender for the purchase and installation of seven new elevators at its headquarters, with an estimated value of 3.43 billion guaranis, approximately $600,000.
The process, published on the portal of the National Directorate of Public Procurement (DNCP), includes a 20% advance payment of the contract value, about 686 million guaranis, for the winning company. The technical justification, prepared by the Congress's Directorate of Physical Resources, argues that the upfront payment is necessary because the elevators are high-tech equipment, featuring a gearless traction system and international certifications, which would require between 100 and 150 days for manufacturing and import.
The document states that between 40% and 60% of the total cost is concentrated in the first 90 days of the contract, which has an execution period of 200 days. The advance, which would be backed by a bank guarantee equivalent to 100% of its value, aims to prevent the company from resorting to high-cost external financing, which would increase the project's cost for the public treasury.
This new procurement takes place amid strong complaints about the lack of medicines and basic supplies in the public health network. Furthermore, it revives a previously investigated precedent: in an earlier tender for congressional elevators, the DNCP identified inconsistencies and asked the Public Ministry to investigate possible irregularities in the payments, including a multi-million dollar advance made before a formal complaint was filed for document forgery.