Consultants secured lucrative contracts at NMBS subsidiary without public tenders
Consultants at the IT branch of railway company NMBS have been awarded lucrative contracts for years without public tenders. This is according to the Court of Auditors research reported by Het Laatste Nieuws on Wednesday.
Ypto, the IT company managing NMBS's ticket machines, online app and train schedule screens, previously awarded a lucrative contract to Hamid Aghassi, a friend of NMBS CEO Sophie Dutordoir, without a public tender. The Brussels public prosecutor's office later closed the case, stating that no criminal offences were found. However, at NMBS’s request, the Court of Auditors conducted a further review.
In a random sample of 20 2023 order forms for consultant services, none followed proper tendering procedures. Consequently, there was no fair chance of competition, no oversight for fraud or conflicts of interest and no clear view of the costs.
One contract initially awarded without a tender and extended 24 times via simple order forms, rose to 2.8 million euros, an amount typically subject to strict European tendering rules.
Ypto’s new management and NMBS leadership acknowledge that “things have gone wrong” in recent years and underscore they are “busy rectifying the situation.” An action plan has been implemented to ensure contracts are now awarded in accordance with the law, along with new measures to combat fraud and conflicts of interest.
© BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND
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