VOA: Open Data Albania finds inaccuracies in Rama's figures on procurements and tenders

In Tirana, the Open Data Albania study center informed the Voice of America that it has found some incorrect economic figures related to tenders and businesses in Prime Minister Edi Rama's last speech before the parliamentary group and the government cabinet of the Socialist Party.

The head of this Center, Aranita Brahaj, says that some of the data are actually significantly lower than those quoted by Mr. Rama.

She added that the verification of the facts was based on the indicators of the Public Procurement Agency and on the multi-year data that Open Data Albania has recorded in the field of tenders and procurements.

While speaking on Tuesday in front of socialist deputies and ministers, Prime Minister Edi Rama tried to refute with some figures on tenders and public procurements the criticism, perception and suspicions of corruption in this field, making comparisons with data from 2012, before 3 mandates his in governance.

He said that in the years 2009-2012, since electronic procurement started and records are kept, "the average number of economic operators who won public tenders was about 1,000. In the last 10 years, this number is 2,500 on average per year, twice high, two and a half times higher".

But the head of Open Data Albania, Aranita Brahaj, says for the Voice of America that after verifying the data for several days from this study center, it turned out that some data do not hold, and their interpretation has no basis, such as the figure for 2 thousand 500 operators or contractors on average every year, which does not appear to be the case.

From the verification of the study center, it turned out that during the year 2023 there are only 1 thousand 374 businesses, entities, or NIPTs, which have won in open or publicly held competitions that year, worth over 800 thousand ALL, referred to open data of its own state system, the Public Procurement Agency.

Mrs. Brahaj says that every economic operator, which is created by the merger of two operators or two previous businesses, is marked as a new business.

"Business A, Business B, and maybe there is also a C, have been part of the list of businesses that have won tenders for years. In an instant they form a consortium of operators and win a certain contract. In this case, it is listed to the Prime Minister as a new business, but in fact we have the same clients, who have won tenders before and come to the competition and receive tenders again. We have no new businesses. NIPTs, I emphasize once again, are 1 thousand 374", said Mrs. Brahaj.

Drejtuesja e Open Data Albania, thotë se e pazakonshme është edhe gjetja se krahasuar me vitin 2012, në vitin 2023 vlera e fondit limit të tenderave është rritur me 2.08 herë, ndërkohë që numri i NIPT-eve dhe bizneseve që janë angazhuar me një kontratë përmes prokurimit publik është rritur me 57 për qind, ose vetën 1.6 herë.

Në vitin 2012 ishin 876 biznese, ndërsa janë 1374 biznese në vitin 2023, pra nuk ka një rritje 2 herë madje 2.5 herë, siç e prezantoi kryeministri Rama, tha zonja Brahaj.

Ajo e cilësoi si të pasaktë edhe shifrën tjetër prej 6 mijë e 61 kompani të reja fituese, që kryeministri Rama përmendi në fjalim.

“Jo vetëm se u rrit ekonomia dhe u zgjerua biznesi, por dhe pse u ul korrupsioni dhe u zgjeruan rrugët e konkurrencës, në këto 10 vite janë shtuar 6061 kompani të reja fituese tenderash me fonde publike, të reja”, tha zoti Rama në fjalim.

Por sipas verifikimit të fakteve nga Open Data Albania as kjo shifër nuk rezulton e saktë. Bazuar në të dhënat që kjo qendër ka mbledhur nga viti 2012 janë vetëm 4 mijë e 280 NIPT-e, të cilët janë shpallur fitues, ose kanë fituar statusin e një kontraktori publik.

Madje edhe mes 4 mijë e 280 bizneseve nuk janë vetëm fituesit e kontratave publike, por këtu janë përfshirë edhe kompani PPP, kompani fituese përmes programeve si Shqipëria 1 Euro, përmes programeve të caktuara apo privatizime dhe ankande, të cilat shpesh herë nuk janë procedurë e rregullt gare, por janë procedura të cilat bëhen edhe me ligje të veçanta.

“Edhe këtu befasohemi me këtë statistikë, me këtë evidencë, për të cilën mendoj që kryeministrit i është raportuar jo në mënyrën e saktë dhe të duhur. Nuk kemi biznese të shtuara. Nëse ka operatorë të krijuar nga bashkime operatorësh, e garantojmë që janë të njëjtat biznese, që vazhdojnë të fitojnë tendera”, thotë zonja Brahaj.

Kryeministri Rama përmendi në fjalën e tij para deputetëve dhe ministrave socialistë edhe një kursim fondesh prej 960 milionë euro, për shkak të konkurrencës reale në tendera, ndërsa theksoi se nuk janë 5 veta, por janë 25 mijë subjekte që kanë fituar tendera publikë në këto 10 vjet.

“Si rezultat i konkurrencës, meqë ka një tjetër mit të madh se përveç 5 vetave që i marrin të gjitha fondet e shtetit dhe i ndajnë me hajdutët e Rilindjes, tenderat u jepen këtyre të 5-ve gjithmonë sa është fondi limit. Në fakt, jo vetëm nuk janë 5, po janë 25 mijë subjekte që kanë fituar tendera publikë në këto 10 vjet, por shuma e kursyer nga fakti kokëfortë i garës reale është 96 miliard e 603 milion e 818 mijë e 542 lekë, e thënë ndryshe 960 milion euro kursime për shtetin”, tha zoti Rama në fjalim.

On the other hand, Mrs. Brahaj from the Open Data Albania center, says that it is not known what methodology was used to determine that public funds were saved in the amount of 960 million euros, but the concentration of money in a few hands is obvious, especially in cases of limited procedures, when operators with similar criteria are called to a table with the procuring authority and the fate of public money is made there, without the public electronic system.

"If we have 10 companies that win 20 percent of the contract value through tenders, then this fact speaks for itself. Do we have 5, 10 or 25 companies that always win tenders? Yes we have. Whenever we do the annual listings for all the biggest contractors, we find that the top 10 contractors win 20-25 percent of the value of the tenders. We have the reconstruction program, which is 80 billion ALL in 4 years, and all the companies that have won these tenders are the companies that have the largest share, 30-40 percent of the entire value awarded. On the other hand, I don't think we have any efficiency, while we have a very significant number of limited procedures", says Mrs. Brahaj for the Voice of America.

She recalled the fate of the Centralized Purchasing Agency, which conducted the tenders of all ministries and failed within two years, while its officials became part of the investigations for large economic damage during a tender.

The researchers pointed out that there is no improvement in the situation regarding the allocation of tenders in Albania, and there is not even a system for evaluating the conflict of interest and nepotism, which have created a corrupt system, where public directors are also businessmen and public money. they take them right to their company.

They also mentioned the SPAK annual report, which openly talks about fictitious tenders and about companies and businesses that win tenders, but which are nothing but businesses that have ties to people in power. VOA