The Office of the Prime Minister is refusing to list the number of direct orders and tenders handed out so far for the organisation of the Valletta Summit and the upcoming Commonwealth summit.
A huge marquee complete with industrial kitchen facilities is being erected in the precincts of the Ħagar Qim world heritage site to host CHOGM delegates for a gala dinner.
Despite various questions sent to the Prime Minister’s Office on the costs related to hosting the two summits and to explain how the procurement of various services was handled, no details were forthcoming.
The same happened in Parliament despite various requests for information tabled by the Opposition.
In the meantime, companies related to the organisation of such events have approached this newspaper lamenting the lack of transparency and the high number of direct orders given “to the usual few companies”.
When a rare tender is issued it also goes to the same companies close to Labour
“Apart from the fact that most of the work needed is being given out directly to those few companies close to Labour, when a rare tender is issued it also goes to the same companies,” a frustrated event’s organiser said.
The Sunday Times of Malta is informed that companies which were directly involved in the last Labour Party electoral campaign received direct orders worth tens of thousands of euros for last week’s Valletta Summit.
The Valletta Summit’s security services were entrusted to Kerber Security Ltd. Until the last elections, the company used to render security services to the Labour Party, which, according to a spokesman, were “free of charge”.
The press centre facilities mounted at Fort St Elmo for this summit were given through a direct order to Tec Ltd, also responsible for all the tents used by Labour during the last electoral campaign.
No tenders were issued and instead the company owned by Carmel Magro was selected directly by the OPM.
Raymond Vella and Co. Ltd, another company with close connections to Labour, and which made the news recently through the €300,000 new lighting system on the façade of the Auberge de Castille, was given the job to handle all lighting requirements for last week’s summit.
Meanwhile, preparations are in full swing on a large steel structure being erected in Ħagar Qim. This site was chosen by the Office of the Prime Minster as the venue for a gala dinner for Commonwealth leaders and other dignitaries, including the British monarch.
This time the job was issued by tender. Mr Magro’s Tec Ltd won the job as his company offered to build the whole structure for €57,000; half the price of the closest rival offer.
Sources said the tender did not include many extras needed to complete the job, which will eventually inflate the final cost exponentially.
The large tent is being mounted metres away from the megalithic temple.