Central Bank of Ecuador establishes how to select providers under special regime

The Central Bank of Ecuador (BCE) established the procedure for selecting the provider to be invited in procurements under the special regime, through Administrative Resolution No. BCE-GG-019-2026, signed on September 4, 2026, and published in Official Registry No. 371 on Thursday, September 17, 2026. The regulation governs the purchase of strategic goods, works, and services of the Bank and establishes a maximum period of 45 days between the start of the selection and the award.

The resolution was signed by the acting general manager of the BCE, Jorge Alberto Ponce Donoso, appointed to that position through Resolution No. JPRFM-2025-013-A, dated November 27, 2025, by the Financial and Monetary Policy and Regulation Board. The instrument is issued under Article 37 of the Organic Monetary and Financial Code and numeral 8 of Article 38 of the Organic Law of the National Public Procurement System, which subject to the special regime those procurements that guarantee the sustainability of the monetary and financial system, monetary species, the prevention and fight against money laundering, monetary education, financial inclusion, the management of external assets and liabilities, and the administration of international reserves.

The procedure was processed with Technical Report S/N and memorandum No. BCE-GAF-2026-0949-M, dated August 26, 2026, from the Administrative Management, and with Legal Report No. BCE-GJ-086-2026, of the same date, from the Legal Management. The Organic Statute of Organizational Management by Processes of the BCE was approved through Resolution No. JPRFM-2026-031-A, dated July 17, 2026.

Three modalities for inviting the provider

The procedure is mandatory for the administrative units of the BCE involved in the selection, both for national and foreign procurements, and does not apply to procurements with international or multilateral organizations or other central banks. It defines three modalities:

• Public procedure: when the procurement information has not been declared confidential or reserved; the need and technical specifications are published on the Bank’s institutional portal and on the Public Procurement Portal.
• Confidential or reserved procedure: when the subject matter has been previously declared as such by the highest governing body of the BCE; the call, reception, and evaluation are managed through secure internal mechanisms.
• Direct obtaining of quotes: proceeds only if, after the publication of the public procedure, no quotes were received or in the cases expressly permitted by the legal framework.

Deadlines and process responsibilities

The evaluation team consists of three members: the coordinator of Public Procurement Management, who presides over it; the head of the Requesting Area; and a delegate from the Legal Department, who acts as secretary. A delegate of the general manager also participates with a voice but without a vote. The planned terms are:

• 3 days to submit proformas, counted from the business day following the publication or call.
• 2 days to request clarifications or corrections and 2 days for the provider to respond.
• 6 days to evaluate the proformas and issue the evaluation report.
• 3 days for the Requesting Area to issue the reasoned selection report.
• 3 days for the maximum authority to issue the initiation resolution, approve the bidding documents, and arrange the invitation.
• 3 days for the questions and clarifications hearing and up to 3 days to submit the offer.
• 3 days to evaluate the offer and 3 days to award or declare the procedure void.
• 15 business days for the awardee to sign the contract.

Best value for money and tie-breaking rules

Annex 1 establishes the guidelines to objectify the best value for money, which is not determined exclusively by the lowest price. The weightings are: price 10%, quality 30%, performance 15%, functionality 15%, life cycle costs 15%, sustainability 10%, and innovation 5%. Enabling requirements are evaluated under the pass/fail methodology and do not grant points. If two or more providers obtain the same result, the highest technical score, the provider’s greatest experience, and the best delivery or response time are applied in order.

Validity and transitional provisions

The resolution enters into force upon its signing, without prejudice to its publication in the Official Registry. Within five days of its entry into force, the unit responsible for Public Procurement Management must implement the secure internal formats and mechanisms for its application. Selection processes already executed that have not resulted in an initiation resolution must mandatorily observe the new procedure.

The regulation directly concerns companies providing strategic goods and services in the financial, technological, and security sectors, which from now on must submit proformas within limited timeframes and under evaluation criteria defined before each call. For the BCE, the instrument seeks to ensure traceability, competition, and best value for money in purchases that until now were governed by the special regime without a unified internal procedure.

Source: Official Registry No. 371, Thursday, September 17, 2026, Executive Branch – Central Bank of Ecuador, p. 12 (official reference: Administrative Resolution No. BCE-GG-019-2026).