Grimaces of simplified public procurement in Lithuania during the pandemic: the exception has become the rule Business

The President met with representatives of the State Audit Office (SAO), the Special Investigation Service (STT) and the Public Procurement Service (VPN).

Following the introduction of quarantine in Lithuania this spring, the Seimas urgently adopted amendments to the Public Procurement Law, which allow for easier conduct of unpublished international negotiations.

Later it became known that 92 percent. The acquisition of COVID-19 was carried out through secret negotiations for efficiency reasons.

“(During the meeting – 15 minutes) there was a lack of publicity, transparency in the use of funds and finances in emergency management. This has to do with undisclosed negotiations. Yes, the law allows acquisitions this way in an emergency, but this is not the rule, “Darius Kuliešius, the President’s Senior Adviser on Homeland Security, told reporters.

“This is an exception and must be strictly followed in accordance with the law. In a word, flexibility and speed cannot compensate for transparency,” he added.

D. Kuliešius also stated that the risks also arose due to the fact that about 42 percent. Businesses involved in pandemic management-related procurement participated in public procurement for the first time overall, were recently established, or had one or only a few employees.

“This points out risks and responsibilities to contracting authorities to manage these risks,” said G. Nausėda’s adviser.

STT promises help

STT chief Žydrūnas Bartkus said the state should create a system to identify suspicious suppliers or their offers no later than after the acquisition.

“At this location, the Special Investigation Service can also contribute to information verification, supplier verification in order to provide information to the contracting authority in a timely manner,” Ž.Bartkus said.

According to Arūnas Siniauskas, Deputy Director of the Office of Public Procurement, suspicions were also raised that providers of goods and services related to COVID-19 generally engaged in activities unrelated to the health care sector.

VPT states that it asked the contracting authorities how they found out about these suppliers in this case.

“Generally, we received responses that these were recommendations or that the providers themselves implemented them,” said A. Siniauskas.

According to him, in the period before the second wave of coronavirus, the situation is more predictable than in the spring, so the authorities should suspend the practice of buying a lot through undisclosed negotiations.

“Unpublished negotiations as a method of acquisition should be particularly exceptional and should not prevail,” said a VPN spokesperson.

The presidency also announced that about 15 percent. Public contracts were not made public, although authorities were urged to do so at the start of the pandemic.

Police are currently investigating $ 11 million in reagent purchases and rapid tests for coronavirus. euros

In the investigation into the rapid tests, allegations of abuse of power and abuse of power were made to the Deputy Minister of Health, Lina Jaruševičienė, filed for her dismissal this week.

The adviser to President D. Kuliešius stated that in this situation, the Minister of Health, Aurelijus Veryga, “cannot wait and must provide his explanation and assessment of the situation”.

“We are talking about the Minister as head of the sector and the duty of the head is to manage the risks that arise in the sector,” said G. Nausėda’s adviser.

The State Audit Office evaluates the DNA plan

The country’s audit authority, the National Audit Office, should provide an overview in the fall of the country’s success in dealing with the coronavirus crisis.

According to the Deputy Head of Government Živilė Simonaitytė, the document will review how the country used the available financial reserves and managed the public debt.

The State Audit Office also promises to estimate the $ 6.3 billion started by the government. A DNA plan to boost the economy.

“We see risks that the plan includes old frozen projects of the State Investment Program, which were evaluated as irrelevant,” said Ž.Simonaitytė.

Public auditors will also assess why the choice of emergency management was not based on statutory structures, but rather on a non-existent model for concentrating crisis management in the Government Office.