Alarm bells are ringing over a €2.5 million contract that was dished out for cleaning services at Malta’s schools without a public call to enter negotiations or consulting the Director of Contracts.

Brightness JV was handed the €2,460,647 contract on 10th August 2021 by the Education Ministry. 

The joint venture was initially awarded a two-year tender to provide environmentally friendly cleaning services to state schools and other educational establishments in 2018.

However, it was subject to several appeals over concerns on how the contract was awarded. The dispute was settled and Brightness JV was officially awarded the tender on 26th June 2019.

The 2018 tender expired on 28th June 2021. Still, Brightness JV was discreetly handed the lucrative deal without other players in the field being informed that a new negotiated procedure. 

Lovin Malta is informed that some have already filed a formal legal complaint about the issue, particularly since no open procedure was launched. 

Meanwhile, there are concerns that the negotiated procedure did not obtain the required approval from the Director of Contracts before being issued. 

Still, it appears that the Education Ministry delayed its response and did not provide the requested disclosure of information within the required time frame. 

Sources told Lovin Malta that the joint venture in question and the businesses linked to it do regularly receive lucrative government deals, with some operators questioning the links between them and the government. 

What do you think of the contract?