Bulletproof vest tender results in €250,000 fine
C.P.E, a company which won a tender to sell 10 million euros worth of bulletproof vests to the Estonian Defense Forces, but pulled out shortly after, now has to pay a 267,000-euro fine.
The Defense Forces initially said they will not fine C.P.E despite competitors crying foul, pointing to the fact that C.P.E has previously cooperated with Bristol Trust. The joint bid by Bristol Trust and Galvi-Linda AS was declared the winner after C.P.E pulled out, Eesti Päevaleht reported.
The fine is the difference between the two bids in the first round of the procurement.
C.P.E pulled out almost immediately after the tender, saying they would have problems delivering on time and the Defense Forces was in a hurry to equip soldiers with the vests before the Siil military exercise in May.
Toomas Villo, head of Eurosec, which saw its bid lose, said in February that C.P.E could have been in cohorts with Bristol Trust and Bristol Trust hired two Defense Forces employees who previously oversaw tenders.
Bristol Trust said both men were interviewed by the Internal Security Service before joining the company.
Defense Forces was in a hurry to equip soldiers with the vests before the Siil military exercise at the beginning of May, with a record 12,000-13,000 soldiers expected to attend.
Editor: J.M. Laats