GAZ tender smells of collusion

Baku/16.03.23/Turan: The State Employment Agency (GAZ) announced the results of an open tender for consulting services the previous day, which promises to be high-profile: shortly before the disclosure of results one of the bidders accused through social networks of collusion between the organizer and the winner.

"The company, used to work on corruption kickbacks from the time of the former Minister of Taxes, gives an inflated tender offer of AZN 440,000 for work at a cost of AZN 120-140,000. We give a tender offer for AZN 220,000", notes Fikret Mammadov https://www.facebook.com/fikret.mamedov.90663, director of "Saga Solutions" https://sage.az/.

Then something similar to western movies about "nightmare" tenders happens, but without gunfire so far: "First they beg us, then they threaten us, then they threaten with incriminating evidence, then they put unreasonable demands, then they drag out the tender, then they require prolongation of warranty period, then they bribe a bank employee, then they exclude us from the tender, then we ask them for justification, but they quickly announce that the tender has ended instead of justification", head of "Saga Solutions" says.

The tender https://etender.gov.az/main/competition/detail/282017 is being conducted to compile training materials and unify the facilities to international standards of the Ganja Vocational Training Centre (VTC). "The terms of the tender are written in such a way that pulls in a criminal case with severe embezzlement of state funds. More precisely, with repeated procurement of the same consulting services from different contractors. And all this is our GAZ, in collusion with employees of a commercial bank, only because they are paid off by representatives of the company, the actual owner of which is the head of the Student Loan Fund," Fikret Mammadov says. Araz Pashayev, owner of "Universitas-İnternational" LLC, pleaded with him to withdraw from the tender, he said.

GAZ announced "Prima Consulting" LLC the winner of the tender https://prima.az/az/ with the bid price AZN 430,400.

Note that "Saga Solutions" LLC does not expect the Antimonopoly Service (agency responsible for regulating public procurement) to fairly consider an offence appeal on this tender. As the heads of the Antimonopoly Service and GAZ are siblings. "Therefore, we sent a letter of complaint to the Presidential Administration and are waiting for the result. We hope there is no 'mutual responsibility' there," Fikret Mammadov writes.

It has to be kept in mind that under the terms of the tender, in order to determine the occupations and qualifications in demand, an express survey of the labor market in the Ganja-Dashkasan economic region will be carried out. The winner of the tender will develop a general concept for the activities of the Ganja Vocational Training Centre to implement vocational training for the unemployed and job seekers. Based on the results of express-study there will be prepared educational programs on 15 professions and specialties deemed as priority in economic district, and training materials on the basis of these programs. -08B-