Gozo Ministry keeps folklore NGO on rolling direct orders pending tender

The Gozo Ministry handed the same Gozitan folklore NGO nine direct orders in just six months, continuing its practice of repeatedly engaging the organisation without completing a competitive procurement process.

According to the ministry’s latest list of direct contracts, published in the Government Gazette, Tal-Fuklar Folk Group received nine separate direct orders worth a combined €82,000, excluding VAT, between July and December 2025.

The contracts, issued under the administration of Gozo Ministry Permanent Secretary Mario Borg, were for the provision of attendants at cultural heritage sites.

It remains unclear what connection there is between the provision of attendants and the stated purpose of Tal-Fuklar, an NGO registered with the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations.

The organisation describes its main aim as increasing awareness of “traditional Maltese music, folklore and heritage”, with particular attention to young adults.

Most of the direct orders were for exactly €9,409.84 and covered short periods of around two weeks, effectively creating a rolling arrangement in which a new direct order was issued as the previous one expired.

Significantly, the Gozo Ministry repeatedly justified the contracts in its own records as an “interim arrangement until award of tender”.

Yet the same justification continued to be used as Tal-Fuklar was handed successive direct orders throughout the six-month reporting period.

Government records show identical €9,409.84 contracts being awarded for consecutive periods, with the arrangement continuing into December without the competitive tender cited by the ministry replacing the direct orders.

The latest disclosures follow previous reports by The Shift on the Gozo Ministry’s extensive reliance on direct orders and Tal-Fuklar’s recurring role as a beneficiary.

Previous government records showed the NGO receiving repetitive payments that, together with the latest awards, are approaching €200,000, principally in connection with the management of the historic Xewkija windmill and the provision of cultural heritage-related services.

The Gozo Ministry, particularly under the previous permanent secretary, John Borg, has repeatedly attracted scrutiny over its procurement practices and its reliance on direct orders rather than competitive calls.

The latest list shows that some practices continue despite a change in the Ministry’s permanent secretary.

The services entrusted to Tal-Fuklar were divided into a succession of short repetitive engagements, most carrying precisely the same value in a clear attempt to bypass procurement rules.