ECONOMYNEXT – The parliament’s Committee on Public Finance has recommended that the controversial GBS-IVS, VFS Global visa deal be abrogated or revised and the award of the deal without tenders should be forensic audited, its Chairman Harsha de Silva said.
The contract was awarded without a competitive tender and no specifications.
“The Consortium was appointed without a competitive bidding process, preventing the Department of Immigration and Emigration from securing the best value for money,” de Silva after submitting a report by the COPF to parliament.
The GBS-IVS, VFS Global was charging costs around 25 dollars per visa but Mobitel was charging only 1 dollar.
The systems were different by there were no specifications issued to bid as is found in all procurements and tenders.
“If there were specifications and tenders, anyone including Mobitel or any other global company could have responded,” de Silva told parliament Friday.
The lack of specs raised concerns on “procedural integrity,” he said.
“The absence of a competitive bidding process in the procurement of online visa services has likely resulted in an agreement that does not provide the best value for money,” he said.
“Our findings call for immediate action by the Auditor General to address these critical issues and ensure transparency and accountability, which could even mean abrogation of this agreement.”