Cartel suspicion in catering service tenders

Allegations of irregularities regarding catering service procurement by public institutions in Elazığ have been brought to the judiciary, shaking public opinion. It is claimed that certain companies operating at the local level have collaborated in tenders held in recent years, thereby raising bids and causing public loss. According to the allegations, with the contribution of public officials, tender specifications are prepared in a way that paves the way for specific companies.

In the criminal complaint filed, it was argued that the crimes of "bid rigging, bribery, and misconduct in public office" were committed and that competition in catering service procurement across Elazığ was intentionally eliminated. Specifically, it was alleged that millions of liras in public loss were incurred, particularly in tenders for the 2023–2025 period at the Elazığ Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Services and state hospitals in the Kovancılar and Maden districts. The petition stated that the same companies submitted bids together with minor price differences and that access to approximate cost figures was possible in advance.

Another striking claim regarding technical specifications is that documents prepared for a tender that has not yet been announced are contrary to the law. It was alleged that, particularly at the Kovancılar District State Hospital, although meals were to be produced in the hospital kitchen, companies were required to provide TSE and ISO certificates belonging to their own facilities, and that these documents could only be provided by a specific company. The fact that objections were not taken into account by the tender commission and that a public official who had been dismissed in the past for similar reasons was reassigned to carry out the same procedures were also included in the criminal complaint.

News Source: 12punto