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Procurement and small suppliers

Chile

Opening public procurement to smaller firms

2024 rule · institutional description updated in 2026

ChileCompra and Compra Ágil

What the evidence shows

The procedure provides a route into public procurement. The sources in this profile offer no verified causal estimate of jobs or savings from the new rule. The OECD's 2017 review describes the earlier system; it does not evaluate the 2024 reform. [1][2]

Compra Ágil allows purchases of up to 100 UTM, a Chilean tax reference unit, through the public platform. At least three quotations must be requested, but purchases can proceed with fewer offers received. The rule prioritises smaller firms and local suppliers, with specified exceptions. [1]

  1. Request quotations through the platform

  2. Compare prices and justify the choice

  3. Track delivery and payment

Costs and delivery

The 100 UTM ceiling limits the value of a purchase; it does not measure savings. An evaluation needs to include administration, prices, quality, oversight and payment times. This profile contains no consolidated public cost. [1]

Limits of the comparison

Requesting three quotations does not guarantee three offers. Less red tape does not eliminate weak competition, contract splitting or delivery failures. Supplier access is not the same as additional employment.

OpenGov3's interpretation

What it can teach Brazil

How can supplier entry be made easier while preserving competition, integrity and quality?

What to monitor when adapting it

  • Offers received and participation by firm size
  • Price and quality compared with alternatives
  • Accepted deliveries and payment times
  • Concentration and signs of contract splitting

These are criteria for analysis, not commitments already made or estimated outcomes for Brazil. A well-documented practice is not, by itself, causal proof of an entire country's success.

Sources consulted

Consulted on 10/29/2026. Each result retains its observed period; institutional descriptions and impact evaluations have different scopes.

  1. ChileCompra — Compra Ágil (2026) (opens in a new tab)

    Rule effective from 12 December 2024; page dated 1 April 2026: ceiling, quotations, preference and exceptions.

  2. OECD — Public Procurement in Chile (2017) (opens in a new tab)

    2017 review of public procurement; predates the 2024 reform.