DTOP Prepares New Bidding Process for Vehicle Inspection Centers After Months of Scandal

The Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP) confirmed it has received the green light from the General Services Administration (ASG) to launch, before the end of 2026, a request for proposals (RFP) that will seek to replace the company that has operated Puerto Rico's vehicle inspection system for decades ¹. The announcement comes amid a credibility crisis for the island's roughly 380 inspection stations, marked by fines worth nearly a million dollars for fraud, the abrupt cancellation of a contract, a lawsuit, and a criminal investigation targeting a former cabinet secretary ¹²³.

Background

DTOP Secretary Edwin Gonzalez Montalvo, who also heads the Highway and Transportation Authority (ACT), told El Vocero that the agency is working on a draft of the document and will soon announce the RFP's launch along with a socialization process so that station operators and other stakeholders can weigh in before the final bid document is approved ¹. The company Cartek has managed the gas-measurement system, the issuance of certifications, and control over registration-sticker sales at inspection centers since the 1990s, without charging station owners a monthly maintenance fee ³. That arrangement nearly changed in 2025: in February of that year DTOP awarded a contract to Worldwide Environmental Products to replace the equipment, but canceled it in May, prompting a lawsuit from the company alleging breach of an agreement that had already been signed and registered ².

The controversy escalated when a sworn statement from a DTOP employee alleged that former Housing Department Secretary Ciary Perez Pena asked for his firing over his role investigating an inspection center linked to her that had racked up nearly a million dollars in administrative fines tied to 1,975 fraudulent transactions ¹. DTOP's Driver Services Bureau (DISCO) confirmed 412 irregular transactions in certificates issued between June and August 2023 at that same center ¹. Independent special prosecutors are now investigating whether Perez Pena exerted undue influence, after the Department of Justice's Public Integrity Division found sufficient cause to believe misconduct occurred; the deadline for prosecutors to decide whether to file charges is September 3 ¹.

The numbers behind the system

According to Cartek, there are 378 active inspection machines, though DTOP confirms only 374 are connected to the CESCO digital system, and some equipment is up to 28 years old ⁴. Each new machine costs roughly $29,500, and the inspection fee charged to drivers rose from $11 to $20 in recent years ⁴. DTOP has only 20 inspectors to oversee every station on the island ², and a hearing before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee revealed that 68 centers received fines that were later reduced, including one case of an $8,500 fine for an inspection supposedly conducted 15 minutes earlier than alleged, and another owner who racked up $25,000 in fines ³. A lawmaker also filed a bill to prevent a single supplier from monopolizing the system, while 30 inspection centers were referred to the Department of Justice following legislative inquiries ¹³.

What this means for you

If you own a car in Puerto Rico, this process hits both your wallet and your confidence in your own inspection. The RFP could change who owns the equipment, how much each station pays to maintain it, and eventually how much you pay for your annual sticker. Meanwhile, the fact that only 20 inspectors cover the entire island means real oversight depends heavily on each station's own honesty, and documented fraud cases show not all of them comply. If your sticker or inspection certificate came from a station under investigation, you could face questions if DTOP retroactively voids transactions.

How to handle it / Checklist

1. Confirm your inspection station is listed as active in the official Estaciones Oficiales de Inspeccion (EOI) directory at smarttransportation.pr.gov before taking your vehicle in.
2. Always ask for the printed receipt from the inspection machine, not just the sticker, and keep it in case your transaction is questioned later.
3. Verify through the CESCO portal that your inspection certificate and registration sticker were correctly recorded under your name and plate.
4. If you suspect a station issued your certificate without a full inspection, report it to DTOP's Driver Services Bureau (DISCO).
5. Watch for DTOP's announcements about the RFP's socialization process if you operate an inspection center or want your voice as a consumer heard before the new contract is signed.
6. Budget for the current $20 inspection fee, but stay alert for whether the new operator adjusts the rate once the contract is awarded.

What's next

DTOP maintains its goal is to formalize the RFP before the end of 2026, though the agency has not given an exact launch date ¹. In parallel, September 3 is the deadline for independent special prosecutors to decide whether to file charges against former Secretary Ciary Perez Pena over the inspection center linked to her ¹. The Legislature must also take up the bill aimed at preventing a monopoly over inspection center operations, following hearings where station owners testified about an oversight process they described as informal and arbitrary ³.

Sources

1. El Vocero, "DTOP afina detalles de busqueda para nuevo operador de centros de inspeccion," https://www.elvocero.com/gobierno/dtop-afina-detalles-de-b-squeda-para-nuevo-operador-de-centros-de-inspecci-n/article_2a4d1bf8-a430-49ec-8360-1277efae4040.html
2. El Nuevo Dia, "Empresa demanda al DTOP por cancelar contrato de inspeccion vehicular," https://www.elnuevodia.com/negocios/empresas-comercios/notas/empresa-demanda-al-dtop-por-cancelar-contrato-de-inspeccion-vehicular/
3. NotiCel, "Informal, arbitrario y con temor por represalias la supervision de centros de inspeccion," https://www.noticel.com/noticias/20260411/informal-arbitrario-y-con-temor-por-represalias-la-supervision-de-centros-de-inspeccion/
4. NotiCel, "Actual sistema para inspeccionar autos levanta cuestionamientos," https://www.noticel.com/noticias/legislatura/20260206/actual-sistema-para-inspeccionar-autos-levanta-cuestionamientos/