Jan 07 - GSD Expresses Further Concerns Over Tendering Transparency
The GSD says it has received a number of complaints about the allocation of a contract to Bizzy Bee Limited in excess of £1.5 million for the renewal of (amongst other things) pavements in Varyl Begg Estate. Complainants have reportedly told the Opposition that there were lower bids for the project.
The GSD explains that Bizzy Bee Limited is a company which on the 16 April 2013 applied for a Trade Licence in order to “advise the Gibraltar Government on construction, road works and machine hire”. At the time, the Opposition says it thought it was “extraordinary” for a company to apply for a Trade Licence exclusively to “advise the Government on construction, road works and machine hire” but nothing else. In other words, argues the Opposition, unless this company had the clear expectation that all it would be doing was Government work, it would be in breach of its Trade Licence in doing any non-Government work. The GSD asks why would a company make such an application unless it was very confident, for whatever reason, that it would be provided such work?
The party explains that its concerns were heightened by the fact that one of the owners of the company is a well known GSLP supporter. The Leader of the Opposition then brought the matter to Parliament during Questions and Answers and on the day he was due to ask questions about the company, the directors changed their application for a Trade Licence to “general construction” work. In other words, says the Opposition, they were no longer applying to simply do work for the Government.
Bizzy Bee Limited has since been engaged by the Government to do a number of jobs and the Varyl Begg Estate is just the latest example, according to the GSD.
A party statement concluded: “We do not know the exact nature of who bid what for the Varyl Begg project but our policy as announced earlier last year is to make the tender system far more resilient, open and transparent. All bids will be made public and bids will be opened in front of tenderers for the projects.
“However, given the complaints we have received and the background we have outlined above, we call on the Government to give a full explanation of the allocation of the Varyl Begg contract to alleviate any concerns there may be as to its allocation.”
