Another million scandal in BiH: How the most expensive offer from the high won work, and the state lost money?

A contract worth more than three million KM, and BiH’s budget is easier for at least 370,000 marks – the result of the public procurement of BiH border police reported by the BiH Pale Prosecutor’s Office, writes Noise.

The criminal charges are charged with seven individuals and two legal entities for a doubt that the entire procedure was agreed in advance and that the legal procedures were intentionally violated to get the business “KM Trade” from the High, although it had the most expensive offer.

How did the tender look like?

The tender for the purchase of parts of uniforms was announced on 29. August 2023. Years, but the opening of the bids were delayed as many as seven times. He was finally held on 4. June 2024. Years. A total of five offers arrived:

The application states that three cheaper bids were eliminated without concrete explanation, and that there are two companies – Patrio and the textile industry – subsequently given up the conclusion of the contract, although they had lower prices and formally qualified.

Doubts in advance prepared outcome

The company “Mraz” claims that it is a predicted scenario in which the most favorable bidders are formally reported to create an appendix to the competition, and then retire, opening the space in advance “selected” firm.

As a key example, they state the company Patrio from Sarajevo, for which they claim that, according to the available data from the register, there is no space, nor the equipment, nor employees.

“It is an impression that everything was advanced. Someone must meet, because such behavior destroys the market and damages the budget,” the application is reported.

Who is all reported?

The application and surname shall refer to the members of the Commission who decided on the tender, the Chairman of the Office for Reviewing BiH Complaints, as well as two companies: KM Trade (high) and Bosnainspekt (Sarajevo).

Slow samples and supposedly invalid analysis

According to the application, the company KM Trade submitted a laboratory report from the company BOSNAINSPEKT, which – is not accredited for key test methods prescribed by the tender documentation, including UV fabric aging.

“If the Institute for Public Health is accredited for microbiological analysis of water, this does not mean that it may issue a valid report on UV fabric,” the applicant leads.

It is also claimed that samples were submitted by KM Trade contained numerous technical errors: wrong measures, the absence of the manufacturer’s logo and inadequately sewn markings. Nevertheless, the Commission gave a passing grade.

Direct damage to the budget

Based on the rejected Offer of the company “Mraz”, the application estimates that BiH is damaged by the Budget for at least 370,175 KM, because it is accepted significantly more expensive.

Suspicion is also expressed that a form of coordinated co-operation of individual firms that acting competition, that the job in the end always received a predetermined supplier behind the repeated tenders.

What now?

The application is required that the Prosecution of BiH examines the Commission consciously violated the Law on Public Procurement; Why were the laboratory reports without the necessary accreditation, and whether the participants in the tender consciously coordinate the withdrawal of bids to “push” a predetermined company.

If suspicion from the application proved to be founded, it is a possible great case corruption in the public procurement sector in recent years.

“It is not just the most expensive offer – but what the entire system behaves as if it is normal,” cites a source close to one of the companies excluded, informing that the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH has notified.

By the time of the announcement of the text, the competent institutions did not publicly announce about this case. The editorial office will monitor the development of events and publish the views of all actors when available.