Illustrative stock photo (source: SME)
Non-governmental organisations have called on the Education Ministry to re-evaluate a competition to buy new internet connections for schools, the so-called Edunet, to replace the earlier Infovek project.
The Slovensko.Digital platform together with the representatives of other NGOs and the telecommunications sector criticised the conditions of the procurement back in March, saying it restricts competition.
The Education Ministry responded that the competition has not been completed yet.
“The current valid agreement on Infovek between the Education Ministry and Slovak Telekom expires in September 2016, and the purchase of a new internet connection for schools is not managed well, in our opinion,” said Ján Hargaš of Slovensko.Digital, as quoted by the TASR newswire.
They had not seen any analysis as of March, which would reveal how the ministry wants to proceed, he added.
The education department responded by saying that it continues to assess the bids submitted during the public procurement process.
“Regarding the complexity of the public competition the result may be expected in several months,” the ministry told TASR.
It already claimed in March that the procurement, valued at €81 million including VAT, is transparent and follows the rules set by the law on public procurement.
It also rejected claims that the conditions were tailor-made to suit one specific company, TASR wrote.
