The Georgian government plans to install new snowmaking systems in Bakuriani. The project is being implemented by the Georgian Mountain Tracking Agency (MTA), subordinated to the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development. The Agency has announced a tender of 137.8 million on the acquisition of a snowmaking system.
According to MTA, the winner of the tender is Technoalpin and the Agency will sign a contract worth GEL 99.9 million. The Point is that International Company Demaclenko has been ready to give the same service for almost 8 million GEL cheaper, which failed in the tender due to the unknown reasons, despite the unequivocal price advantage.
Demaclenko's director Andreas Lambacher held a press conference at the Holiday Inn Hotel, where he said there was a clear case of breach of international bidding conditions that raises suspicions of an alleged corruption deal.
Demaclenko's claim includes three main problematic issues: the first is related to the tender price of GEL 137.8 million. It should be noted that the companies participating in the competition presented their prices on the principle of a sealed envelope, initially the price nominated by Technoalpin was about 137.8 million GEL, while the price nominated by Demaclenko - 91.9 million. Despite the 46-million-dollar difference, Demaclenko was not declared the winner of the tender, and the selection procedure continued. It should be noted that the price offered by Technoalpin exactly coincided with the price set by MTA. According to the representative of Demaclenko, it raises the suspicion that a certain agreement had already been reached in advance between the parties, which in turn limits fair competition.
The second problem is related to the non-transparent procedure after the completion of the bidding process. According to Andreac Lambacher, CEO of Demaclenko, Technoalpin changed the original bid price and made a new offer of USD 99.9 million after closed-door negotiations.
Asked by BMG whether Demaclenko had the right to use such an opportunity or whether the company had received a relevant notification about the event, Andres Lambacher replied that his company did not have the right to use such a privilege according to the international tender norms.
