Where did the investigation lead us:
- The largest technical consultancy competition in the history of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport with a record amount: of 31,000,000 euros plus 15,500,000 euros as an option
- The ministry under Karamanlis “opened”, due to a Recovery Fund, more infrastructure projects than it can serve…
- The Prime Minister’s admission that the resigning minister and again a candidate with ND put more emphasis on infrastructure, but not on transport – With the known consequences
- Which companies were contracted in the major open tender in March 2022 and for which services
- By what criteria was it considered necessary to spend such an exorbitant amount?
by Vassilis Galoupis
The prime minister finally decided to include Kostas Ach. Karamanlis on the lists of New Democracy, in view of the elections of May 21. The man who was sitting in the “electric” political chair the night of the Tempi accident.
Until the last moment, due to reactions to him by part of the public and all opposition parties, the participation of the resigned Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, who assumed political responsibility for the evening of February 28, 2023, remained doubtful. Mitsotakis, however, decided to include him on the ballot for the Prefecture of Serres.
Kostas Ach. Karamanlis served as Minister from July 9, 2019, to March 1, 2023. During his tenure, he was criticized for tendering decisions, such as the one on the lease of diesel buses for the Thessaloniki Urban Transport Organization.
Today, Data Journalists are revealing a 46.5m-euro tender from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure. The competition concerns the recruitment of consultants, a topic we have dealt with recently.
The framework agreement was published on March 14, 2022, with a contracting authority, as mentioned, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (General Secretariat for Infrastructure, Directorate of Public Procurement Tenders).
It is a “framework agreement for the provision of services of a technical advisor to the Administration at different stages of maturity and implementation of the Ministry’s projects”.
The contract price was set at 31,000,000 euros, including VAT, with an option of 15,500,000 euros.
SEE THE FULL CONTRACT (pdf )
ΣΥΜΒΑΣΗ 
The ministry was legally represented by “Minister Konstantinos Ach. Karamanlis”, which was one of the two parties. The other Contracting Parties were:
- “SALFO and associates SA management and technical project consultants”. It is located on Vouliagmenis Avenue and was represented by Mr. Ioannis Fotinos.
- “Planet SA Consulting Societe Anonyme”, headquartered in Louis Riancourt. It was represented by Mr. Christos Giannakopoulos.
- The “Association of Economic Operators”, consisting of Hill International, NAMA, Concept, Trek, Samaras, and Associates.
A competition was held to find the most advantageous offer. The declaration for the conclusion of the agreement was made through an open procedure through ESIDIS, with a time of implementation of four years.
The questions
This tender for technical consultants is the largest in the history of this ministry, 31,000,000 euros plus 15,500,000 euros as an option, ie 46,500,000 euros.
According to experts in the field, the mammoth agreement resulted from the Recovery Fund and the new NSRF. Due to the many projects, it was considered that consultants had to be hired because ministry officials were not sufficient.
That is, the ministry “opens” more infrastructure projects than can serve its existing specialized staff.
In order to stick to the timetables, since the great burden has fallen on the infrastructure, it was estimated that 46,500,000 euros should be given an outrageous amount both for the data of the time and in comparison with the terrible shortcomings of the other area of responsibility of the specific ministry, that of Transport.
The infrastructure projects announced by the resigning minister included the extensions of Attiki Odos, BOAK, the northern part of E65, etc.
On the contrary, Mr. Karamanlis had not given the same emphasis to transport, with the known consequences. Something the Prime Minister admitted in his recent interview with Alpha:
“I think you may be right that in a Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the heaviest burden falls on infrastructure and transport may be the “poor relation”. And one of the considerations we need to examine is whether we should re-establish an autonomous transport ministry and break the ministry of infrastructure and transport in two.”
The questions that arise are important. On the basis of what criteria and identified needs was it assessed that such an exorbitant amount is required for counseling?
Why are the employees of this ministry, who are paid by the Greek taxpayer, not sufficiently or not strengthened with trained staff to be able to respond without such competition from private technical consultants?
If the role of the technical advisor is now considered to be upgraded and necessary in order for the timetables to be respected in the projects, what prevents the specific ministry from reinforcing its own specialized staff, which in any case needs “assistance” according to the assumption reiterated in the contract?
Wouldn’t a substantial reinforcement with such know-how and executives in the ministry’s staff be, after all, the real definition of the modernization of the state that the government has been evangelizing since the beginning of its mandate?
The services
The subject of the implementing contracts, as stated in the agreement we present, are services “to support the Administration at various stages of maturity and implementation of the projects related to the Ministry’s portfolio”, as follows:
– Group of Services 1
Preparation – Hierarchy and Assistance for the Strategic Planning of New Projects.
Among the services undertaken by the contractors are the overview, examination, and evaluation of existing projects, recording of progress of relevant actions of the Administration, control of the reference budget, categorization and prioritization of projects, preparation of relevant reports of a technical consultant for the preparation of a “roadmap” that will specify the actions, funding, and timetables for the preparation of new projects tenders, etc.
– Group of Services 2:
Support in the auctioning, commissioning, and monitoring of studies..
The object of the technical consultant includes the support of the Management for the preparation of tender documents, the conduct of design contests, the evaluation of tenders of candidate contractors, etc.
– Group of Services 3:
Support in securing and managing funding..
Such as feasibility studies, financial and socio-economic cost-benefit analyses, support in compliance with obligations arising from the terms of each funding body, etc.
– Group of Services 4:
Support in the auctioning and award of Public Works Contracts, concessions, and PPPs.
Such as drafting tender documents for works contracts, etc.
– Group of Services 5:
Assistance in supervising projects.
As the technical consultant will assist the managing service in monitoring and controlling the quality and quantity of the works and generally the compliance of the contract by the contractor, he will be responsible for the foreseen process of archiving/keeping the relevant project files.
– Group of Services 6:
Submission of monitoring reports on the implementation of the program at the level of the Directorate-General for Infrastructure..
Such as monitoring of the program with a view to the completion of projects within a time limit and financial planning as well as with the desired quality, submission of extraordinary or periodic reports on the progress of the implementation of the project program, provision of specialized experts on specific issues, e.g. lawyers, etc.
The three contractors were asked to give a guarantee that the terms of 125,000 euros, excluding VAT, would be met.
In fact, there are also confidentiality terms “throughout the duration of the agreement and the implementing contracts, but also after its expiration or termination and for a duration of 5 years”.
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