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Matthew Vella
The publication of Malta International Airport’s new magazine ‘Grip’ was not awarded by public tender. The production of the magazine was apparently awarded by direct order.
MIA public relations officer Simon Sultana confirmed that no public tender was issued for the publication of ‘Grip’, although according to him the company “looked around” for offers. ‘Grip’ magazine is produced by Watermelon Media & Communications, owned by former NET TV head of news Pierre Portelli.
Sultana told MaltaToday that “as a private company MIA was not obliged to call for tenders in such instance. The company's contribution to the publication is to ensure distribution within the air terminal and has a number of pages in each issue dedicated to MIA for which we pay the normal advertising rates applicable.”
According to Sultana, Malta International Airport is a private company and therefore it is “not obliged to issue tenders on certain amounts.”
However the Department of Contracts denied this and said that in the case of a company like Malta International Airport, where the Maltese government has a 40 per cent shareholding, services exceeding Lm2,500 but not Lm20,000 have to be procured after a departmental call for tenders, with tenders opened in public by three senior officers and the prices quoted also made public.
Provided that the Minister may allow limits higher than Lm20,000, the Minister responsible may set up procurement committees.
“The concept of having the publication is not something procured directly by MIA but something we sub-contract to another company,” Sultana told MaltaToday, “which in this case absorbs all costs and revenue, whilst having at our disposal a certain number of pages.”
Sultana would not disclose the financial budget for the publication of ‘Grip’ publication, being “of a commercial and confidential nature”. According to the recent public procurement regulations, as confirmed by the Department of Contracts, Malta International Airport is bound to issue an open call for tenders for services valued between Lm10,000 and Lm20,000.
matthew@newsworksltd.com
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