Sahuayo Launches Mexico's First Municipal Digital Procurement Platform with Glass Technology

The Municipality of Sahuayo has launched a Digital Public Procurement One-Stop Shop, making it the first municipality in Michoacán and one of the first in Latin America to implement a fully paperless procurement system. This initiative positions Sahuayo at the forefront of using cutting-edge technology to streamline procurement processes, increase public spending efficiency, and strengthen local micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.

The platform was developed in partnership with Glass, a Silicon Valley-based technology company specializing in digitalizing public procurement processes. The system is powered by Glass's G-Commerce platform, which is already used by local governments in the United States, federal agencies, and other Latin American governments. Following Mexico City's collaboration with Glass, Sahuayo becomes the first municipality in Mexico to adopt G-Commerce and only the second nationwide to launch this type of platform.

With an annual budget of nearly $340 million Mexican pesos (approximately USD $17-18 million), Sahuayo manages strategic resources that previously relied heavily on manual, paper-based processes. In just two months of adoption, the Digital Public Procurement One-Stop Shop has digitalized more than 700 purchase requests, transforming practices that traditionally required in-person paperwork and signatures into a fully digital, streamlined, and traceable process.

More than 45 active municipal departments have integrated the platform into their daily operations, including Public Spaces and Mobility, Public Safety, Water Services, Public Works, Education, Economic Development, Street Vending, Health, and Energy. The platform simplifies the entire procurement process: municipal staff can log in to their purchasing dashboard, create requests with product or service details, submit them with a single click, and track progress in real-time through review and approval.

Beyond internal efficiency gains, the platform is designed to empower the local business community through an intelligent supplier directory. Sahuayo's businesses, including small shops, women-led enterprises, and other key contributors to the municipal economy, can register and connect directly with government procurement opportunities. The municipality aims to progressively onboard more than 60 local suppliers into the platform, creating an inclusive and competitive ecosystem where local MSMEs can participate transparently in government procurement.

Alexander Morillo, Government Projects Lead at Glass, stated that working with Sahuayo has been a key step in the company's Latin American expansion. The digital transformation allows municipal leaders to focus on serving citizens rather than managing physical paperwork. The platform's expansion plans include covering petty cash, emergency purchases, direct acquisitions, and larger-scale transactions within a digital, auditable environment.

Glass has supported more than 120 public agencies across the U.S. and Latin America in transitioning to intelligent public procurement platforms, having processed over $7.4 million in public transactions. The company's recognition by Forbes, Bloomberg, and Crunchbase, along with backing from Google and selection by the U.S. General Services Administration for its federal commercial platforms program, establishes Glass as a strategic partner for governments pursuing transparency and efficiency.

The launch represents not only a technological advancement for Sahuayo but also a regional milestone in integrating administrative efficiency, local business empowerment, and transparency in public resource management. This initiative serves as a benchmark for other municipalities considering digital transformation of their procurement systems.