CSS ignores objections to public bid

The Social Security Fund (CSS) has biased in favor of the Consortium Ambuibérica Panamá, as the best option to grant a millionaire and controversial lease of ambulances.

The lease (leasing) is for 56 basic-transfer ambulances, seven 4 x 4 model ambulances and 34 advanced life-support ambulances, for a period of 48 months, at a cost of around $24 million.

Despite the fact that, an appeal of reconsideration with specific observations against the pre-selection of the Spanish conglomerate was submitted to the Board of Directors of the CSS, the CSS has already chosen the Spanish firm as the virtual winner.

"The Ambuibérica Consortium, formed by Autotransporte Sanitario S.L and Rodríguez López Autos S.L.U, obtained 100% of the points", the CSS pointed out in an official statement, after a public ceremony on Thursday, June 23.

In this way, a green light is given so that the evaluation report of this tender (with no answered comments) is referred to the Office of the Comptroller-General for authorizing its endorsement.

The counterpart of the Ambuibérica Consortium was the Asociación Accidental Ambulancias para Todos (which includes a foreign company and two Panamanian companies) that proposed to give the service for $25.8 million, on the reference price of $24 million.

But Ambulancias para Todos was rated with 95 points by the Evaluation Committee, five points less than the company that is likely to be awarded the tender.

Observations

Before the invitation to the public act, the Asociación Accidental Ambulancias para Todos presented six comments against Ambuibérica to the Board of Directors of the CSS, through a note to its director, Estivenson Giron.

The note was requesting to formally suspend the public act, and warned that the Evaluation Commission report was based on "illegalities and irregularities in open contravention and detachment from the full statement of objections and applicable standards of public procurement".

Between the irregularities, the note highlights that Consortium Ambuibérica "did not present the sworn declaration of nominal shares of the company, a sine qua non requirement for bids greater than $3 million, according to what the law establishes", revealed lawyer William LeBlanc to Panama America.

The firm did neither meet an important technical requirement such as the medical equipment, of laboratory use, called "glucometer".

The technical criterion required that the "glucometer" should count on a sanitary registration issued by the Gorgas Memorial Institute, Central Laboratory of reference in public health.

And although the company has failed to comply with these sensitive parameters, it was awarded 100% of the points.

Action of a claim

The lawyer for Asociación Accidental Ambulancias para Todos, reiterated that the CSS has not willed to answer these observations, and that the General Directorate of Public Procurement argues that it is the institution which must decide in this regard.

That is to say, “the General Directorate of Public Procurement washed their hands and said that that problem pertains to the Caja de Seguro Social," said LeBlanc.

By means of this evasion of responsibility, the lawyer confirmed to Panama America that this week they will file an "action of a claim", directly to the Court of Public Procurement.

Suspicion

The former Director of the CSS, Juan Jované has manifested a special suspicion due to the omission of the favored company´s shareholders.

He said that "this detracts transparency" to a process that has already generated rejection among the population.

"The society is against this lease." And to make things worse they are now pretending to tell us who will benefit from this... all this is strange... It is even more evident that this Government is deeply dull and lacking in transparency", concluded Jované.

Outsourcing for the ambulance service would lead to more expenses

The current administration of the Social Security Fund (CSS) has ignored the warnings of the medical associations in regards to the policies for outsourcing services, including ambulances, through the controversial figure of leasing.

"We have always said it. Services must not be outsourced because it is this way that the CSS ends up spending more money. It must be the CSS itself that should take on all its activities. It is the only way to save" reiterated Julio Osorio, President of Comenenal.

In this sense, since his appointment in the CSS, its director Estivenson Giron has ignored these accusations and has been particularly urged to continue with the bidding process for the rent of 97 ambulances.

Mr. Giron has repeatedly made mention in the media of the fact that the CSS counts on only 120 ambulances and that many of them are not in optimal conditions, which, in his view, justified the transaction.