According to the representative, the process has been marked by a lack of transparency, lack of information, and numerous citizen questions. In particular, this has been due to the substantial modification to the original contract, which was allegedly made after the contract was awarded and without public discussion or known technical support.
García explained that the initial specifications for the bidding process specified that the contract would include the comprehensive provision of public lighting services, as well as the city’s ornamental and Christmas lighting. However, after a detailed review on the SECOP platform, the representative’s team discovered that the final contract’s financial purpose had been modified, incorporating the Christmas component with additional funding of nearly $15 billion pesos.
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“We’re talking about a significant sum that, instead of being used to modernize and guarantee efficient service, ends up becoming an ‘extra check’ for the concessionaire, without this change having been discussed during the bidding process or evaluated in the proposals submitted,” explained Representative García.
The modification appears in a key paragraph of the final contract, which expands the scope of the project to once again include Christmas lighting, this time financed with resources from the public lighting tax collected prior to the contract signing. For the representative, this constitutes a serious alteration of the financial scope of the awarded contract, which affects the fairness between bidders and calls into question the legality of the process.
García also noted that the contract included significant investments in remote management technology, lighting modernization, and energy efficiency, goals that, to date, have not been met in the city.
“I am not opposed to Pereira having decent Christmas lights. What cannot be allowed is for an additional $15 billion to be added to the contract, without justification or oversight. It’s public money, it’s the money of the people of Pereira.”
The congressman also reported that, through a petition addressed to the city’s mayor’s office, he requested detailed information on the use of these additional resources and the mechanisms in place to ensure their proper and transparent use.
“Public resources are not the petty cash of contractors. The people of Pereira deserve transparency, clarity, and, above all, respect,” concluded Representative Alejandro García.
