News • October 12 2003

‘Tomorrow’s Schools’ refuse to give details on 400 direct tenders

Matthew Vella
An investigation into the number of direct orders issued by the Foundation of Tomorrow’s Schools (FTS) was recently turned down when MaltaToday was told that the foundation would not disclose the private companies which were given direct orders.
FTS CEO Alfred Ferrante would not tell MaltaToday which private companies have received direct orders from the foundation over the last 16 months. "I am bound by professional secrecy. Forward your request to the Ministry for Education, or avail yourself of the resources available to journalists, such as parliamentary questions."
Between January 2002 and April 2003, a total of 549 direct orders valued at Lm1,337,925 were issued by FTS to government and private companies. In 2002 FTS issued 400 direct orders, totalling Lm906,920. Between January and April 2003, the FTS’s direct orders totalled 149, valued at Lm431,005.
Last week, Albert Ferrante told MaltaToday that the majority of direct orders had been given to government entities. "We think it would be more beneficial to the economy to see that companies with great expertise such as the Malta Drydocks or Kalaxlokk, are given direct orders especially when they are passing through a lean period."
In last year however, FTS came under intense criticism from the Labour Opposition when it was accused of having flouted government financial regulations. Labour MPs in the Public Accounts Committee demanded the National Audit Office investigate FTS’s workings to ensure it was abiding by governmental rules on how public money should be spent. Government-appointed members on a board of inquiry investigating the FTS soon resigned following Labour accusations that its representative was not being allowed access to information.
"No private companies have been awarded six-digit figure direct orders. When considering that there are 124 schools, quantities for direct orders tend to be large. We also cater for other Ministry buildings such as the Robert Sammut Hall and the Science Centre," Ferrante told MaltaToday.
He said that purchases by the foundation are effected according to the Public Service Procurement Regulations. Equipment and services costing up to Lm2,500 may be procured departmentally after a call for tenders, from quotations, or from the open market after taking into account the amounts involved, the procurement’s urgency and restrictions of choice and availability, provided that purchases of the same or closely similar material in different lots do not exceed the value of Lm10,000 in a period of six months.
Purchases exceeding these limits can be effected with the authority of the Ministry of Finance. "FTS deemed it necessary to resort to large direct orders, sometimes running into six digits, awarded to Government-controlled entities, such as the Malta Drydocks, Kalaxlokk Co Ltd, Koperattiva Aluminium u Servizzi Ohra, and Kopmas amongst others. In all of these cases, the required Ministry of Finance approval was sought and obtained", Ferrante told MaltaToday last week. "A number of the more substantial direct orders were awarded post April, during which period, most of the FTS activity is concentrated. Since these companies are commercially competitive entities it would not be opportune to disclose the amount of individual direct orders
awarded."
matthew@maltamag.com