CONSULTORÍA PARA LA ELABORACIÓN DE UNA GUÍA PRÁCTICA RELACIONADA CON LA ADMINISTRACIÓN DE CONTRATOS EN EL MINISTERIO DE OBRAS PÚBLICAS Y COMUNICACIONES (MOPC) BASADA EN PREGUNTAS FRECUENTES RESULTANTES DE CAPACITACIONES ANTERIORES SOBRE EL MANUAL DE GESTIÓN DE CONTRATOS DE OBRA PÚBLICA

The specific objectives are to systematize the frequent questions raised from the workshops held in the framework of the training on the content of the Manual of Contract Management for Public Works, conduct interviews with key actors to identify relevant analysis topics, develop a practical guide related to contract management in the MOPC, and generate a basic consultation document or tool for MOPC officials. The activities carried out to achieve the objectives include research and analysis of each topic consulted, taking into account the questions from the courses and interviews conducted. The main sources of information analyzed were the national legislation, the standard bidding document for the contracting of public works approved by the National Directorate of Public Contracts, and the content of the Manual of Contract Management for Public Works. Complementary sources of information included books from the International Federation of Engineers and Consultants (FIDIC), the Manual of Guarantee Management of the National Directorate of Public Contracts, and the Manual of Road Management of the MOPC. In addition to the questions from the courses, critical problems were identified through interviews with key personnel from different departments of the MOPC. Specifically, interviews were conducted with Victor García, Executive Unit of Strategic Projects; Laura Almada, Director of Legal Advice; Mercedes Silguero, Director of Strategic Projects; and Dionisio Mereles, former Director of Legal Affairs of the MOPC and former Director of the UOC of the Municipality of Asunción. Based on the results of the research and analysis of each topic, the respective answers were elaborated, in the order expressed in the proposed structure. It is essential to note that the training provided focused on the exposition of the Manual of Contract Management for Public Works of the National Directorate of Public Contracts, which deals with contracts governed by Law No. 2051/03 on Public Contracts, and did not address the regime of contracts governed by other norms, such as contracts financed by multilateral organizations. The guide is a document oriented fundamentally to the training of officials and does not constitute a legal opinion or a regulatory disposition that sets an absolute criterion for all cases. In the analysis of each concrete case, the specific clauses that are drafted for each particular contract should be reviewed, which may have different criteria from those exposed in this guide.