A government tender for the supply of mechanical street washers has been suspended due to allegations of foul play by a potential bidder.

St Paul’s Bay-based company Martin Grima Ltd filed a legal case with the Public Contracts Review Board (PCRB) claiming that the tender issued by the Cleansing and Maintenance Department within the Tourism Ministry was designed to exclude competition and favour a specific local supplier.

The company alleged that the department had altered the technical specifications in the latest tender to ensure that only a particular model of machines, identical to the ones already bought by the government, could apply for the new €1.2 million tender.

The company also pointed out that similar tenders issued the previous year were awarded to the same company, which supplied a particular brand of street sweepers.

Martin Grima Ltd insisted that these actions violated EU competition laws and requested that the tender be cancelled and re-issued with fair technical specifications to allow broader competition.

Ramon Deguara

The head of the Cleansing Department, Ramon Deguara, defended the department’s actions. He admitted to acquiring more machines than initially specified in the first two tenders but claimed it was allowed according to law.

He also stressed that the new machines needed are street washers, not sweepers, and must be of a specific size to fit narrow roads in Malta.

Research by The Shift shows that last year, the Ministry of Tourism’s Cleansing Department issued two separate tenders for mechanical road sweepers, and the same company won both contracts.

Bad Boy Cleaning Services Ltd, based in Blata l-Bajda, won an €835,600 tender followed by a €2.1 million tender a few weeks later. Bad Boy submitted the lowest offer in both cases.

The company, set up in 1987, specialises in industrial cleaning services and is owned by Claudine Ellul Sullivan.

The Cleansing and Maintenance Department falls under the political remit of Parliamentary Secretary Glenn Bedingfield.