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Unsuccessful ZDZS Tender Candidate Demands Cancellation of Tender
Thursday 26 November 2009 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, November 26 (TASR) - An unsuccessful candidate in the tender for providing healthcare-emergency vehicles organised by Transport and Health Emergency Service (ZDZS) protested in front of the Government Office on Thursday.
PANAX F.C.S. wanted in this way to point to what it views as the violation of legislation in connection with the tender and called on the Government to make efforts to make remedy and halt all the "fraud". In support of its demands it organised a petition that was signed by 1,200 people.
The company's director Peter Zaicek said that the whole tender for the supply of 140 ambulances was illegal. He said that his company appealed against ZDZS's decision within the legally set period, but ZDZS signed a contract with the tender winner during this period, which was illegal.
PANAX and other companies that support the protest said that the tender result threatens employment in the Orava area. They called on the Government to halt the tender and maintain employment in Orava where local people have provided ambulances for the past ten years.
ZDZS said that PANAX in the tender claims to be an official sales and services agent for Volkswagen, but in reality there was no contract signed between Porsche Slovakia (which belongs to the Volkswagen group) and PANAX, which by submitting such a contract simply wanted to profit from the tender worth €20 million. The matter is being investigated by the police.
According to Zaicek, this whole contract issue pertains to the first round of the tender that was cancelled by the Public Procurements Office (UVO) in July this year. "This has got nothing to do with the second tender, and it's only the intention of people around ZDZS to draw attention to the other side and get rid of their guilt," said Zaicek.
The protest is also supported by MPs from the opposition SDKU-DS party who are planning to visit ZDZS on Friday.
ZDZS called the tender for emergency vehicles twice. The first tender was cancelled by UVO because it was allegedly drawn up to suit one applicant. UVO had reservations to the second tender as well, however. According to Zaicek, PANAX has twice offered a price €3.5 million lower than the winning bid, but still didn't win. The tender was won by a company called Volkswagen Financial Services (VWFS).
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