The Minister of Defense accuses the companies of inflating the price by 30% in the SAFE program: “We will not negotiate with our hands behind our backs”
The Minister of Defense, Radu Miruță, said on Thursday that certain companies, interested in contracts with the Army through the SAFE program, increased the previously announced prices. Miruta says that if they do not accept the initially discussed price, he will address CSAT.
Radu Miruță, Minister of National Defense PHOTO: Facebook
The Ministry of Defense has done its job in this SAFE project, claims Radu Miruță. He said in a press conference on Thursday that the ministry he leads had the obligation to convey to the working group what are the technical characteristics of the military equipment they want. The working group analyzes what the localization percentages are, that is, what the army wants to acquire, but how much to produce in Romania, where to produce in Romania and at what amount of money, writes Mediafax.
The Minister of Defense claims that financial proposals have increased from those interested in contracts through the SAFE program, and this seems unacceptable to him.
“We received, according to the CSAT decision, “request for information” with these characteristics of the entities that are interested in producing in compliance with the CSAT decision and the conditions in the SAFE, and despite the fact that they had announced some prices, not long ago, a few months ago, because the period of time in which these contracts must be signed is narrowing, they started to come back with financial proposals that are a third more expensive. I also told you from the Ministry of Economy and from here that we will not negotiate with these companies with our hands behind our backs, ending up paying artificial prices just because they feel that there is some money that the Romanian Army, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Transport want to use. Using this money from SAFE was not an option for the Romanian Government, as I have also heard such discussions. Romania has a public procurement plan, approved in the Romanian Parliament, which the Romanian Army carries out every year“, stated the Minister of Defense
Radu Miruță also said that the SAFE instrument aims to make payments through a more advantageous method for the Romanian state.
“What happened in Poland is because Poland can borrow on the open market under the same financial conditions as the money that is in SAFE. Romania would borrow twice or now probably three times more expensively. So it is an advantage for Romania. But when I am at the Ministry of Defense, I will not order the signing of a 30% more expensive contract, no matter what happens in such situations”stated Miruta.
The Minister stated that he notified the Chancellery of the Prime Minister and all the entities in the working group to inform the companies that there is no option to buy more expensively.
“Either accept at the initially discussed price, a price that can be found from checking the market offers at the most granular level. Or, if we do not hold another CSAT meeting, we will propose to the entities in Romania with decision-making power for such acquisitions and investments to change the framework to which we are addressing. The Romanian Army does not buy as the companies want and the Romanian Army does not buy until the working group, the Prime Minister's Chancellery and the Ministry of Economy mention that all conditions have been met to produce in Romania”the Minister of Defense also said.
