National Health and Pharmaceutical Center Fined for Irregular COVID-19 Vaccine Procurement Worth HUF 1.5 Billion
The Public Procurement Authority (PPA) has imposed a fine of HUF 10 million on the National Public Health and Pharmaceutical Center (Hungarian acronym: NPHPC) for the procurement of Moderna vaccines last fall, reports Népszava.
The legal compliance review concluded that the NPHPC failed to convincingly demonstrate the absolute necessity of the procurement. Nor could it prove that an extraordinary urgency a result of unforeseeable circumstances made it impossible to adhere to the deadlines prescribed for open, negotiated, or competitive tendering processes.
The procurement under scrutiny involved the acquisition of 100,000 doses of Moderna vaccine, estimated to be worth about 1.5 billion Hungarian forints.
The government is currently engaged in legal disputes with Pfizer, and thus approached only Moderna for a quotation on roughly 100,000 doses prior to the autumn season. The procurement negotiations with the chosen bidder were conducted rather belatedly, at the end of November.
The procurement under scrutiny involved the acquisition of 100,000 doses of Moderna vaccine, estimated to be worth about 1.5 billion Hungarian forints.
The government is currently engaged in legal disputes with Pfizer, and thus approached only Moderna for a quotation on roughly 100,000 doses prior to the autumn season. The procurement negotiations with the chosen bidder were conducted rather belatedly, at the end of November.
