Minister confirms Appeals Board for power purchase agreement bids - opposition welcomes decision

Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi this evening confirmed in parliament that an independent board is being set up to consider any appeals by bidders in Enemalta's call for expressions of interest for a power and gas purchase agreement. The decision was welcomed by Opposition MP Tonio Fenech, who said that the Opposition had been calling for this remedy because having the bidders go to court to only be refunded their costs if their claim was upheld had been insufficient. Mr Fenech asked, however, why the appeals procedure was not being referred to the Contracts Committee, which had experience in this matter and was respected. Once the government was setting an ad hoc committee, how would it operate, what technical competence would it have, and what remedy would be given if a bidder's appeal was upheld? Mr Fenech also asked how the government had decided that the proposed power and gas purchase agreement was exempt from the EU's procurement regulations. The call for expressions of interest, he said, involved more than procurement since the supplier would have to build an infrastructure to provide its service, in what was known as a mixed contract. It involved the building of a power...