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Karl Schembri
The two bidders for the tender of L-Istrina have been dismissed by PBS after both of them failed to cost their proposals, provide bank guarantees and a bid bond to hold the annual charity telethon, shedding serious doubts on whether the event will be held at all.
Both Razzett tal-Hbiberija and a consortium formed by Eden Foundation and Sign It have refused to abide by the commercial requirements laid out in the L-Istrina tender document, asking PBS to set its own budget instead and doing away with the required bank guarantees and bid bonds. Both Razzett and Eden have also committed themselves not to partake in any of the funds raised if they were selected to organise the event, and both of them believe the call for tenders was the wrong way of going about to organise the event.
“We put in our proposal because we are honestly concerned that several NGOs stand too much to lose if L-Istrina is not held,” said Razzett’s General Manager Mark Sultana. “But we said it on black and white that we would exclude our organisation from being a beneficiary if we were selected.”
PBS CEO Albert Debono said the station will “stick to tender procedures” in what is taken by observers as a clear sign that the two proposals fell short of the requirements laid out in the tender document. MaltaToday is in fact informed that one of the bidders was told its proposal was declined but was asked for a meeting for further discussions in the station’s last ditch attempt at somehow holding the event despite the late hour to organise the mammoth event.
Debono however declined to elaborate when probed further, accusing MaltaToday of somehow having both a “transparent”
and “hidden agenda” at the same time. “When we deem it is appropriate to comment on the process we will do so,” he said. “We will certainly not comment at this stage of such a process merely to satisfy your transparent albeit hidden agenda.”
But as time is running out, it is becoming increasingly difficult for PBS to meet expectations of the previous editions of L-Istrina which required long months of preparation and commitment.
Although Where’s Everybody? director Peppi Azzopardi had clearly stated more than a year ago that he would not be organising L-Istrina any longer after 11 years and suggested that a board of trustees be set up to take charge of the event, PBS has waited till the last minute and could only come up with a call for tenders in what is doomed to be a logistical nightmare.
Months ahead of the event, piggy banks would be distributed in all schools, factories, shops and places of work; thousands of prizes would have already been collected from benefactors to distribute on the day; adverts would appear in virtually all newspapers and television programmes; artists would be committed to donate works of art for a grand auction, and over 1,000 volunteers would be already enlisted to help in the organisation of the event.
“This is not a case of bad planning as PBS is willing to contribute as it has done for the past nine years,” Debono said in his defence. “It is a case of identifying the correct partners now that Where’s Everybody are thinking of leaving the stage. It seems such partners are not as abundant as some arm chair critics would have imagined. Any attempt to organize a charitable event can never be construed as a failure.”
The chairperson of the Malta Resource Centre for NGOs, Claudia Taylor East, was however very sceptical about the PBS plans for L-Istrina, slamming the station for resorting to tender procedures instead of organising the event itself with the help of NGOs.
“They should be very careful because they are giving the idea this is a commercial event, and that can be very damaging for the voluntary sector. It risks backfiring on NGOs that need charity funds badly,” Taylor East said.
kschembri@mediatoday.com.mt
www.maltatoday.com.mt/2006/10/15/t1.html
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