“Contracts have been concluded with caterers in all Riga schools” – with this announcement on Thursday, 28 August, Riga Vice Mayor Vilnis Ķirsis and the acting director of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports Ivars Balamovskis came forward. However, they did not clarify whether the contracts were concluded with the winners of the procurement procedure or with someone else.
Inc. already reported at the beginning of August that due to Riga City Council’s sluggishness there was a risk that children in several schools could be left without lunch, because the signing of contracts was being delayed with the companies that gained the rights in a draw held in spring to cater for children in 35 schools. The court recommended not to sign the contracts for the time being, but added that such a recommendation is not legally binding.
Four days before the new school year, council representatives reassured the public that the problem had been resolved and that in some schools, after a change of caterers, the new service providers were hastily setting up kitchens. However, the council representatives were only partially telling the truth.
On the same day that it was announced that everything was in order and contracts had been signed, the caterer for Riga State German Gymnasium was selected by drawing lots. The right to provide the service went to SIA Marniko. The company’s manager, Nataļja Bogdanova, told Inc. that due to procedure the contract would not be signed for at least another 12 days – first an official document from the municipality confirming the win must be received, and then there is a ten-day waiting period to see whether the current caterer for the gymnasium students (SIA Baltic Restaurants Latvia) will appeal this decision.
Therefore, N. Bogdanova does not venture to predict when catering could begin, as it is also unclear in what condition the previous caterer will have left the kitchen. “It depends on the condition of the kitchen and what equipment has been left,” says N. Bogdanova, adding, “if we still have to buy new equipment, then the time needed for that cannot be predicted.”
Asked whether she knows who will be feeding the students of the Riga State German Gymnasium next week, she replied in the negative, but allowed that possibly the previous caterer might continue doing so. She is not, however, aware that a couple of days before the draw, Riga City Council had staged a formal emergency negotiated procedure and concluded a new contract with Baltic Restaurants Latvia. This is evidenced by what the principal of Riga State German Gymnasium said and by information in the Electronic Procurement System (EIS).
“We have a contract, we have a caterer, I don’t know anything about the company you named [SIA Marniko],” is how the principal of the Riga State German Gymnasium, Gundega Muceniece, describes the situation.
Checking Muceniece’s statement in the EIS system, it can be seen that Riga municipality indeed had announced in August an emergency negotiated procedure for catering in three Riga schools – Riga Secondary School No. 66, Riga Secondary School No. 13 and Riga State German Gymnasium. Only one bidder was invited to participate in the negotiated procedure – SIA Baltic Restaurants Latvia, with which three respective contracts were concluded for a total amount of 601.35 thousand euros. The contract term is indicated as 31 May 2026 or until the dispute is concluded, or until a decision is taken, as a result of a new procurement, on the granting of rights to conclude a contract and the conclusion of a new contract. The contract says nothing about a new draw a few days later, and why such a draw was necessary is unclear.
Thus, in fact, after the spring procurement was concluded, a different winner was selected by draw in three schools where Baltic Restaurants Latvia had previously operated. However, the former caterer appealed this, and therefore it has now been granted, without a procurement procedure, the opportunity to continue catering for the children of those schools for about another year for 600 thousand euros, solely because this company already has kitchen equipment remaining in the schools.
V. Ķirsis and I. Balamovskis did not respond to calls or text messages. However, after a text message was sent to I. Balamovskis, Inc. was contacted by the head of external communications of Riga City Council, Sindija Grāvere. She had not delved into the catering issue, but said she knew that at least two contracts with service providers had been signed under an accelerated procedure so that students would have the opportunity to receive a meal as early as next week. Apparently there are also some “temporary contracts”, but she did not know with which schools. Riga City Council promises to send a detailed response during Monday, as we called on Friday at around 15:00, and “working hours will end in an hour”.
Originally published at https://inc-baltics.com/neskatoties-uz-pasludinato-uzvaretaju-tris-rigas-skolas-bez-konkursa-bernus-edinas-baltic-restaurants-latvia-2/
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