A computer company yesterday claimed that the chairman of a selection board had issued instructions for a tender not to be awarded to it even though it had the most favourable offer.

The judicial protest was filed against Juan Borg Manduca following a call for tenders for training services to IT students at Mcast. Computer Domain Ltd said that a number of companies, including itself, had submitted a tender and it resulted that it had made the best bid and so should have won the contract.

However, on Mr Borg Manduca's instructions, the tender was not given to Computer Domain Ltd. For no justifiable reason, the point system upon which a company would be awarded the tender had been updated and all competing companies were given extra points, consequently making all of them eligible to win the contract, Computer Domain Ltd claimed.

Computer Domain Ltd said Mr Borg Manduca was aware that there were companies that had not satisfied the basic tender requirements. Some of the companies were not licensed by the Education Department to teach IT and did not offer facilities for disabled students, the unsuccessful bidder complained. It added that it was informed that Mr Borg Manduca had not told the truth when he testified before the Contracts Department's appeals board.

Computer Domain Ltd thus called on Mr Borg Manduca to reverse his stand and to act correctly.

Lawyer Edward Gatt acted for Computer Domain Ltd.