A €1.6 million contract through a negotiated procedure was issued by the Public Works Department following the discovery of "extensive unforeseen structural damages" in a government building in Floriana.

The Government Gazette published On 13 June featured a list of direct contracts awarded in the second half of 2024 by the Public Works Department. One of those listed was a negotiated procedure valued at €1,615,877.

This direct contract was awarded to BAVA Limited on 3 July 2024 via a negotiated procedure on "Extraordinary Works Ancillary to Refurbishment of Block A, Floriana."

Being a negotiated procedure, this €1.6M sum was "negotiated without a prior call for competition," meaning that no tendering process was opened prior to the granting of this contract.

The Malta Independent asked the Parliamentary Secretariat for Public Works for details regarding the building the works are to take place on, as well as why it opted to go for a direct contract, and whether a tendering process had been attempted prior to opting for a negotiated procedure, among other things.

In response, a spokesperson for the Parliamentary Secretariat said: "The infrastructural works currently underway in Block A (Ministry for Transport, Infrastructure and Public Works) were awarded through a negotiated procedure, in full compliance with procurement regulations. This procedure was approved by the Department of Contracts (DOC), as the selected contractor was already engaged in ongoing works within the same block under a separate tender." 

"To ensure continuity of responsibility on site and due to the urgent nature of the additional works - both of which are valid justifications under procurement rules - a negotiated procedure was deemed viable. The additional works became necessary following the discovery of extensive unforeseen structural damages in the same block. The total amount for these works is based on estimates provided by the Ministry's Quantity Surveying (QS) section, and covers the civil works required to restore structural safety."

This was the most expensive direct contract awarded by the Public Works Department in the second half of 2024.

The contract award notice details that the works involved in this contract are mainly classified as refurbishment work, though it also includes factors in construction work, the stone used for construction, restoration work, and building alteration work. However, there is no available information on the breakdown of costs for these works.