CorrWatch: Defense Ministry Negligence caused the food problem at KSF

The CorrWatch Initiative has expressed concern over the defence ministry's procedures for food supply to Kosovo Security Force soldiers.

Through a response to their official website, the Defence Ministry has been saying that the issue of providing food for KSF has been neglected, and according to them this is a “clear violation of Article 35 of the Public Procurement Law”.

Furthermore, this orgasm has stressed that the ministry has conducted a negotiated procedure without publishing the contract announcement, justifying itself with extreme emergencies.

The caused emergency “is attributed to MM inactions and neglect. In view of this, we consider that the MM by conducting negotiated procedures without the publication of the contract announcement, being called to extreme emergencies, has committed violations of LPP's Article 35. Second, the contract has paid off OEs that haven't met the demand in the tender file. On October 15th, the MM has announced that this procurement activity has been cancelled. However, according to all the above-expounded facts, it is seen that the MM has failed in fulfilling the constitutional obligations”, it is said in their response.

In addition, the ministry is said to have committed a series of other violations during negotiations.

“Other than that, CorrWatch, has found that the MM during the negotiations on recent activity has made another series of violations. MM has only invited three OEs into negotiations, so making violations of Article 7.1 which envisions that” The AK will not execute any aspect of procurement activity in a way that reduces or eliminates competition among economic operators or that discriminates to harm or to better one or more economic operators, is said to be further in their response.

According to the organisation, only three economic operators have been invited to negotiations, violating Article 7.1, predicting that “The AK will not execute any aspect of procurement activity in a way that reduces or eliminates competition”.

CorrWatch has also announced that economic operators who have failed to meet the tender file requirements have been rewarded.

In the end, CorrWatch has called for reflection by institutions and linkes responsible for these illegal procedures.