President Luis Abinader created an oversight commission for the Amber Highway tender. The Amber Highway is the new fast road the government has designed to connect Santiago with Puerto Plata across the Septentrional Mountain Range.
Decree No. 298-26 establishes a Citizen Oversight Commission to supervise the bidding and procurement process for the design and construction of the Autopista del Ámbar. The road is designed to connect the Santiago North Bypass with the Puerto Plata-Sosúa road, a project deemed critical for regional connectivity and economic development.
The members of the commission are Bishop Jesús Castro Marte of the Diocese of Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia, businessman Franklin Báez Brugal, and two government advisors. These are José Radhamés García González, who has collaborated as a strategic advisor to the government in the Information, Analysis, and Strategic Programming Department of the Presidency (DIAPE), the agency that monitors public policy and social trends, and economist Pedro Silverio, who serves as an advisor to the Abinader administration.
Mandate and powers
The primary responsibility of the commission is to monitor and track the transparency of the bidding stages. Under the decree, signed on 1 May 2026, the body is authorized to receive complaints, suggestions, and observations from citizens, suppliers, and civic organizations.
Furthermore, the commission will issue progress reports detailing their findings. These reports may be officially incorporated into the administrative records of the procurement process to ensure a permanent trail of accountability.
Institutional cooperation and limits
To facilitate this oversight, the Ministry of Public Works and the RD Vial Trust are mandated to provide the commission with full access to relevant documentation, in accordance with current transparency laws.
However, the decree establishes clear boundaries to maintain administrative efficiency. The decree states that the commission serves strictly as an observer. It does not have the authority to intervene in the specific legal competencies of the Purchasing and Contracting Committee. Moreso, members will not participate in the formal evaluation of technical or financial bids. And the members must sign an ethical commitment declaring a total absence of conflicts of interest and a duty to maintain strict confidentiality.
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Presidency
5 May 2026