Tender Abuses

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On December 28, 2012, the municipality of Prizren published a contract notice for “supply of food items to the members of Parliament and civil servants of the municipal administration of the city of Prizren,” according to which the interested economic operators should have submitted their documents before January 7, 2013, at 3pm. The tender, according to the laws in power, was open until January 8, 2013. Moreover, the contract notice of Ben-Af Company was issued on January 23, 2013 with the total value of 43,600 Euros or 100 Euros per person. Surprisingly, the entire administration, including Ramadan Muja, the mayor of Prizren, were caught shopping on the New Year’s Eve at the Ben-af  shopping centre . This showed that the tender was being implemented before it was supposed to be closed.

Abdullah Limani, of the Kosovo Public Procurement Regulatory Body, said that this procedure was against the law for tenders. “What happened to tender for the supply of food items in Prizren is against any procurement standard,” Limani said. “Supplies, works or services must not be performed once, and then the procedure.”

Fatmir Kastrati, of AAK, said he used his 100 Euros to buy goods at Ben-af. “The decision of assembly was lawful, but then the procurement law was violated and this is not the problem of municipal councillors,” Kastrati said.

The LDK’s press office Prizren reacted with a statement, according to which, without even meeting the legal terms of procurement, the municipality prejudiced the tender winner; therefore, eliminating real competition and violating the law.

Abdullah Thaci, LDK spokesperson, said “the municipality identified the winners themselves and just then formally announced tenders.”

NaimCahan, an official of the organization KDI, said that, based on the calculation of this organization, the sum of 43 600 Euros would have been sufficient to give 80 Euros to 45 families with social cases per month and annually.

Legal Officer of Ben-af, Besnik Kuqi, claimed that the firm had fulfilled “all the conditions required for the competition” and that it had won the tender.

Acting chief of the procurement office in Prizren, Alban Susuri, said that the contract has not been signed because the municipality has no money for it.

However, the municipal spokesman Ymer Berisha said the decision was taken in accordance with the municipal assembly procedures.

“Some officials, including the mayor, have not used the funds,” said Berisha. “I would like to confirm the citizens that we are within the normal practices of decision-making.”