LRK Trading Rejects Opposition's Criticism of Fire Engine Tender (2)

Bratislava, 12 March (TASR) - The company supplying fire engines to the Interior Ministry, LRK Trading, rejects claims made by opposition MP Juraj Krupa of Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) on Wednesday (11 March) following a parliamentary inspection at the Firefighter and Emergency Service, LRK Trading managing director Roman Kardos has told TASR in response. The company also says that it hasn't recorded any official findings that confirm the MP's statements. "We reiterate once again that the supply of vehicles for the Interior Ministry is being carried out on the basis of a properly conducted public procurement process in which several bidders (nine companies) took part. LRK Trading succeeded in the tender with the lowest price offer and by meeting all the required parameters and conditions of the public procurement among the submitted bids," said Kardos. Kardos added that the tender has also been reviewed by state authorities. The procurement was launched by the ministry under the previous government in 2022. "Subsequently, during the tender, the tender documentation was repeatedly clarified and amended based on questions and objections from bidders in order to ensure the highest possible level of transparency and proportionality of economic competition," he said. Kardos also disagreed with claims that the vehicles were overpriced. According to him, the price presented in the Czech Republic — €400,000 — was probably without VAT, while the price in Slovakia, more than €588,000, includes VAT. In addition, Slovak firefighters will receive vehicles with a different configuration. Kardos also rejected claims that LRK Trading was acting merely as an intermediary. "The company acts as a commercial representative of foreign manufacturers of specialised equipment in Slovakia and provides comprehensive supplies of vehicles, including configuration, supply of equipment, integration of technologies, homologation, training and service support. This model of cooperation is standard in the field of specialised equipment supplies in Europe and is nothing unusual in Slovakia," said Kardos. He also denied allegations about allegedly suspicious financial flows. According to him, financing through factoring is a common and transparent financial tool used in large-scale industrial projects or public contracts. "At the same time, we consider it paradoxical that in the past (September 2024, publicly available) some opposition representatives claimed in the media that the tendered price of the vehicles was unusually low and that it wouldn't be possible to supply the vehicles at such a price. Currently, however, opposite claims are being presented about alleged overpricing. In our opinion, such contradictory statements confirm the political rather than factual nature of this criticism," added Kardos. Opposition MP Krupa said on Wednesday after the parliamentary inspection at the Firefighter and Emergency Service that he wants to submit the findings on the controversial fire engines to law-enforcement authorities. According to him, LRK Trading, the supplier of 80 fire engines, of which 71 will be paid for by the European Union, has displayed suspicious behaviour. The MP has repeatedly pointed to the price, which he says is higher than the purchase price of the same vehicles in the Czech Republic. The opposition has been speaking about problems with the purchase of fire engines since September 2024. In addition to suspicions regarding the financing of the purchase, it also objects to the allegedly low quality of the vehicles. The Interior Ministry rejects the criticism, saying the winning company met all the requirements. According to the ministry, the parliamentary inspection showed that the ministry is acting in accordance with the law and properly. NOTE: This story has been extended to include the final four paragraphs mf/df