The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry has reiterated its call for vetting bidders properly in public procurement tendering processes for administrative compliance.

This call comes days after a company linked to alleged kidnapper Christian Borg was formally awarded a €250,000 tender by Transport Malta for the provision of 41 vehicles.

In a press statement published on Saturday, the chamber said that the responsibility for ensuring full compliance, and more so administrative and technical compliance, lies squarely with the Department of Contracts and the Contracting authorities.

It explained that while the public procurement process provides legal remedies for competitors to challenge the adjudication process, they have very little visibility on the administrative and technical compliance of the other bidders.

“Similarly, courts are only able to decide on those matters on which competitors object and to base themselves on the evidence brought forward by the objector,” the Chamber added.

“The business community and the public in general has had enough of cowboys running roughshod over good governance and clean business,” it said.

The chamber said that “false declarations with regard to fiscal or financial status, non-payment of taxes, non-filing of financial statements or the filing of financial statements showing gravely insolvent positions, repeated reports of malpractice to consumer protection authorities, and the institution of criminal proceedings with serious accusation should all trigger alarm bells to blacklist operators and even suspend and withdraw running contracts if the gravity of the case warrants so.”

“This is an effective way of enforcing compliance and cleaning the market of rogue operators,” it added.

The chamber said that it expects the authorities “to leave no stone unturned in convincing all those who are watching and that this government is really serious about its intentions to clean up and raise the bar. We urgently need to close the credibility gap.”