The three price offers are almost identical. ET “Khalil Veliev – Gyulfie Velieva” bid €483,586.50, while the other two companies offered just 50 cents more.
The evaluation report explains that the price per meal had already been predetermined by the managing authority. The fixed amount was €1.86 including VAT for each hot meal, plus another 7% for administrative, transport and storage costs.
The actual competition therefore came down to quality criteria. The factor carrying the greatest weight was the number of meat or fish main courses included in the weekly menu.
ET “Khalil Veliev – Gyulfie Velieva” offered five such meals a week. “Dzhedzho – 69” and “Kuzgun” each offered two. All three companies promised one dessert or piece of fruit per week.
The winning bidder received the maximum score of 100 points. The other two participants were both ranked second with 68.46 points. On 10 June, Mayor Mustafa Karaahmed selected ET “Khalil Veliev – Gyulfie Velieva” as the contractor.
The long-standing supplier remains at the table
The company is not a newcomer to the service. Public documents show that it has won contracts to provide hot meals in Borino since at least 2017. A contract was also signed with the company in 2019, while the ISUN system lists it as the contractor for the current “Hot Lunch” project as well.
Just seven days after the decision on the new tender, the company appeared again before the Municipal Council, though not in person, but through a proposal concerning a municipal property it rents.
On 17 June, the councillors extended the lease of 72 square metres on the first floor of Nikola Vaptsarov Secondary School to ET “Khalil Veliev – Gyulfie Velieva” for another five years. The new lease runs from 1 January 2027, with the rent set at €72 per month.
It is in this very school building that, according to the technical specifications, the hot meals are to be provided to beneficiaries from Borino.
Who reheated the paperwork?
The questions therefore extend beyond the content of the tender documents to the way they were checked and controlled.
Who reviewed the technical specifications before they were published?
Why does a procurement worth nearly half a million euros rely on repealed regulations?
And how many times can an old piece of text be reused before it starts to look like a new one?
Apparently, in Borino, the paperwork is served reheated too.
The difference is that the technical specifications explicitly prohibit reheating the food – but say nothing about reheating the procurement documents.
