The Minister of Defense of Kosovo says that they are aiming to “minimize the negative impacts” on the supply and service of food for the personnel of the Kosovo Security Force.
Ejup Maqedonci published a “clarification” on Facebook after a letter that the commander of the KSF, Bashkim Jashari, sent to this ministry, warning that this situation could force them to take measures to “stop all activities of planned” and for the army to function “only with essential staff”.
“In order to address these repeated challenges, I, together with the Commander of the KSF, have requested that the responsible structures in the Ministry of Defense and the Kosovo Security Force undertake the appropriate and necessary steps to resolve the challenges related to the supply and food service for KSF personnel. Through these actions, we aim to minimize the negative impacts on supply and service, guaranteeing that such situations no longer affect the overall effectiveness and operational performance of the KSF personnel”, the minister writes in his clarification.
He says that “the legal and by-laws in force require certain time limits for the process of recruiting professional personnel for the KSF kitchens”.
“However, we will strictly implement all legal procurement procedures for the supply of food to the KSF barracks. After the opening of the competition for the recruitment of kitchen staff personnel that we did on October 10, we will continue to follow the necessary steps to ensure that this process is completed successfully until the full finalization of the recruitment of civilian personnel of specialized, which will be integrated within the KSF”, said Maqedonci.
The minister said that they have made “continuous efforts” these days “to secure supplies, in order to provide the food service for KSF personnel in the best possible way”.
The conclusion of emergency contracts, according to him, has created “bad things and continuous problems”.
“Since the establishment of the KSF in 2009, almost every time after the end of three-year contracts, as a result of complaints from economic operators which have been addressed to the Procurement Review Body, the procedures for the conclusion of emergency contracts have been developed. Only from 2015 until now, 10 contracts have been awarded under extreme emergency procedures. These issues have created bad situations and ongoing problems, endangering the integrity of the processes and as a result have affected the public image of the KSF and the well-being of its members,” he wrote.
The minister says that through the procedures they are following now, they aim for “each member of the KSF to receive the proper and quality service they deserve”.
“Through these measures, we intend to strengthen our operational capacities, guaranteeing that every KSF member receives the proper and quality service he deserves. This approach will help create a stable and efficient environment, thus contributing to the increase of the image of the KSF and the public’s trust in our institutions”, Maqedonci wrote.
