Through a statement, the National Public Procurement Agency Colombia Compra Eficiente has just announced the suspension of a billion-dollar framework price agreement aimed at acquiring 4×4 trucks for several key State entities.
As revealed by EL TIEMPO’s Investigative Unit a month ago, in the million-dollar purchase – which amounts to almost one trillion pesos – there have been substantive observations from companies in the sector.
And this newspaper published last Monday that the matter had just reached the Attorney General’s Office and the Inspector General’s Office after a couple of tutela actions failed, as they were not the appropriate mechanism to review the issue.
The suspension
“In order to provide guarantees to all interested parties, and attending to the preventive request of the Attorney General’s Office (PGN) to evaluate the temporary suspension of process CCENEG-092-01-2026, which corresponds to the selection of suppliers for the Framework Price Agreement (AMP) for the acquisition of IV generation vehicles, the National Public Procurement Agency – Colombia Compra Eficiente announces that it will suspend, for a period of two months, said tender,” reads the statement from Colombia Compra.
And they add: “The purpose of the measure is to create greater clarity about the process, provide peace of mind to the control bodies, and strengthen the confidence of sector actors, and the general public, regarding the probity of the actions carried out by the Agency.”
They also point out that the decision responds to the institutional commitment to transparency, plurality of bidders, objective selection, and the principles governing public procurement.
In fact, they assured that in the coming days they will convene a technical table to analyze thoroughly and comprehensively the vehicle acquisition process for State entities.
Alerts and tutelas
What sector players denounce is that some requirements related to the distribution chain, the permanence of brands in the Colombian market, and other technical requirements would end up favoring certain manufacturers or distributors.
This is stated in letters sent to the Inspector General’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office last Friday.
This newspaper had access to the complaints, in which it is claimed that during the contracting process there may have been acts with criminal and disciplinary relevance related to the structuring of the framework price agreement for the acquisition of the vehicles.
In fact, they request an investigation into officials of Colombia Compra Eficiente who participated in the process.
And in the letter to the Inspector General’s Office, preventive oversight of the contracting process is requested.
(Consult here all the articles from EL TIEMPO’s Investigative Unit)
Additionally, it is requested to verify whether the public servants who participated in the process acted according to their legal duties.
It also requests that the complaint and attached documents be incorporated as support for any actions that may be taken.
With this process suspended, there are already 5 million-dollar contracts that have fallen through for the Petro government in its final stretch in entities such as Aerocivil, UNGRD, Fenoge, and Fiduprevisora.
INVESTIGATIVE UNIT
u.investigativa@eltiempo.com
@UinvestigativaET
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