Bonnici consortium drops cardiac lab appeal after securing €120 million Mater Dei direct order

CE-BB Projects, the joint venture involving Bonnici Brothers, has withdrawn its appeal against the cancellation of Mater Dei’s cardiac laboratory tender, months after securing a €120 million direct order for a separate hospital extension.

In a decision dated 2 November, the Public Contracts Review Board recorded that the consortium withdrew its cardiac laboratory objection on 15 October, while maintaining its request for reimbursement of the appeal deposit.

The Board ordered a full refund without delay and closed the proceedings without ruling on the merits of the challenge.

The withdrawal ends the appeal over a multi-million tender for the design and construction of a new Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory.

As The Shift previously reported, the ministry cancelled the tender after receiving a single €5.4 million bid from CE-BB Projects against an estimated €3.7 million budget.

The planned facility would expand Mater Dei’s capacity for cardiac interventions, including angioplasty and stent placement. The latest decision does not indicate a replacement tender.

The same consortium’s separate dispute over Mater Dei’s emergency department extension and new mental health wards took a different turn earlier this year.

That project, originally estimated at €80 million, attracted only CE-BB Projects’ €136 million offer. The ministry cancelled the tender, prompting a challenge by the consortium.

The government subsequently pursued an ‘irregular’ direct order worth €120 million through a negotiated procedure with the same consortium, rather than launching a fresh competitive call — €40 million above its original estimate. No one challenged the procedure, as is usually the case, and the PN opposition stayed quiet.

In May, The Shift reported the consortium’s appeal withdrawal, clearing the way for the direct award covering the emergency department expansion and mental health wards linked to the replacement of Mount Carmel Hospital.