The new shooting range at Ta’ Kandja, in the limits of Siġġiewi, has cost in the region of €14 million, double the original estimate, the Times of Malta is informed.
Most of the infrastructural works on the multimillion-euro facility were carried out without the normal public call for tenders, industry sources noted. Instead of following public procurement rules, Sport Malta, the government’s agency responsible for the project, bypassed the system and dished out about 25 direct orders to a few private companies, they added.
The government justified the many direct orders, some running into millions of euros, saying they were “due to urgency”.
Documents show that nearly all the contracts for infrastructural works were allocated through direct orders, with Sport Malta choosing which companies should be engaged.
Road builders Bonnici Brothers received more than €5 million in works, including the building of a €2.3 million backstop and the €1.7 million installation of artificial turf.
Bava Holdings, a company whose shareholders also own Construct Furniture of Luqa, also benefitted from direct orders. It was engaged in a raft of works ranging from the supply of tiling and sanitary…
