Interior Minister in theCaretaker Government Bassam Molawi announced the launch of the mechanical inspection tender during a joint press conference with the head of the Public Procurement Authority, Jean Al-Aliyah. He pointed out that this is "an important step towards road safety that must be integrated with all state works related to construction and road conditions." Molawi emphasized the commitment to protecting citizens' safety and rights, stating, "We will not accept that their money and rights or the state's funds are wasted."
Molawi indicated that the contract with Valle company had expired in 2013, with the Cabinet extending it until 2015. After this period, the company continued to operate without legal justification, prompting the decision to send a letter to the public prosecution due to charges imposed on citizens without legal grounds. Consequently, the company’s operations were halted, and efforts were made to prepare specifications for a new tender that allows for full competition, under Al-Aliyah's supervision.
He clarified that the State Consultative Council "annulled a tender in 2018 because it was conducted for an entity other than the Traffic Authority," asserting his rejection of "criticizing the tender without reviewing it," and noted that the Public Procurement Authority has completed the specifications document.
Furthermore, Molawi mentioned that the Bureau of Audit had issued a consultative opinion with judicial nature based on a request from the Traffic Management Authority, regarding payment methods and work timelines for the Incript company, which halted public services contrary to the law.
For his part, Al-Aliyah stated, "This is the first time that a tender for mechanical inspection centers is presented with a transparent specifications document that no one has intervened in except for the experts who worked on and supervised it, ensuring comprehensive competitive conditions without any prohibitive clauses.” He added that any company operating in this field that meets the financial requirement of $500,000 for each center and $2 million for the Centre in Al-Hadath can apply for the tender based on the lowest price for each center, providing opportunities for medium and small-sized companies, thus mitigating risks related to relying on a single company.
Al-Aliyah explained that "the relationship after the successful tender will be directly between the citizen and the state, and the adhering company will act as a technical expertise that assists the Lebanese state, and there will also be a mechanism to integrate current workers in a non-random manner to benefit from their experience and expertise."
He confirmed that "the issue of fees is tied to the relationship between the citizen and the state; if the contractor breaches his commitments, there is a clear clause in the contract subject to public procurement laws, which considers the contractor as a defaulter and applies the relevant provisions, holding them accountable for all damages.” He noted that the duration for conducting the tender and opening bids would not exceed three months, adding that “the tender has been published on the Public Procurement Authority's page."
