Irregularities mark the initial tender for SPI

This Friday, the Ministry of the Presidency will announce a new contract for equipping the SPI units with new tactical boots, but the document for this act is full of claims that point to details that only a certain brand or supplier respects.

Furthermore, a short delivery time of 45 days was established which would only benefit a company that already has a quantity of boots in Panama.

This is tender 2020-0-03-0-0-08-LP-057645 for the purchase of 1,420 pairs of black tactical boots at a reference price of $174,731. However, the law has faced multiple lawsuits against a range of requirements that limit companies’ participation in this market.

The Ministry of the Presidency announced three additions to the process, but requirements aimed at favoring certain brands remain, according to complaints received by the General Directorate of Procurement. And for now, there seems to be no going back; Offers will be received and opened this Friday.

One of the claims was made by Darly López who claims that the weight, height and design requirements are set in specifications that favor a particular brand such as Billeville.

According to López, the specifications for this competition require the boots to have a removable molded insert that only the Billeville brand has. He also decried that technical requirements require boots to weigh between 18 and 19 ounces, which also limits competition with more efficient products.

“What we are trying to convey is that the way the Objections Document is described, the boot has to weigh 18 or 19 ounces, there is no possibility of introducing lighter boots that are comfortable for users in that sense. Therefore, we are asking for corrective measures to be applied to the technical specification titled “Weight 18 to 19 oz” in such a way as to allow for a larger minimum and/or maximum weight range to be displayed, López said in his claim.

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1,420

pairs of black tactical boots at an MSRP of $174,731. This is tender 2020-0-03-0-0-08-LP-057645 for purchase. However, the act faced multiple lawsuits.

In addition, the document also limits participation to 8-inch boots. “This technical requirement, visible in Chapter 3 of the Objections Document, does not allow a minimum and maximum range, but only those boots that measure 8 inches can participate.

This situation was previously censored by the General Directorate of Public Procurement, because it is understood that the contribution of samples or goods that are better, in the sense that they are larger or smaller in size range, is not allowed,” said López.

Raúl Ledezma was another one of those who filed an appeal against the tender documentation because he considered it restrictive. He indicated that the complaint requires that the proponents have a trade that deals with the sale and distribution of uniforms, tactical boots and boots for the police.

“While we appreciate the intention to ensure the bidders’ ability to manage the distribution of the contracted products, we are concerned that this requirement requires a commercial line that is not directly related to the subject of the tender. In this sense, our contract proposal is focused on the sale of boots, not the distribution of uniforms or operation of a commercial facility of that nature. We believe that requiring the proponents to have a unique sales facility is an unnecessary restriction that could limit the participation of suppliers specializing in the sale of boots, but who do not meet the conditions for performing the activity of selling uniforms,” ​​condemned Ledezma.

He also stated that the tender has a reference price that is far from the market price. He pointed out that it is important that the General Administration for Public Procurement (DGCP) requires the responsible person to produce a market study that supports the determination of that reference price.

Considering the required details and technical specifications and the short delivery time, it is estimated that the unit price should be $250, Ledezma said.