Leny Chuquimia / La Paz
The Gate Gourmet Catering Bolivia SA company contracted —and later terminated— to provide the cafeteria service to the Senate was already observed for poor service in two contracts of the Executing Unit for the Comprehensive Fight Against Drug Trafficking (Uelicn) in 2020. These awards are part of the package of alleged irregular purchases made during the transition government.
The formal complaint for these purchases was filed in 2021 by the Ministry of Government. The holder of that portfolio, Eduardo del Castillo, revealed at least 30 anomalous contracts made by his predecessor Arturo Murillo.
Last Wednesday, Page Seven published a report on hiring for the attention of the current chambers of Senators and Deputies. With data from the State Contracting System (Sicoes), it was shown that the cafeteria service of the 2022 administration for 36 senators was awarded for 304 thousand Bolivians, an amount just less than the 340 thousand Bolivians with which the dining room service was contracted for the 130 deputies.
According to the contracts, the same foods quoted for the Upper House cost up to more than double that in the Lower House. For example: for deputies a salteña cost five bolivianos, while for senators 12. A bread for which deputies and the population pay 0.50 bolivianos, for senators it cost 0.80.
After the publication, a Legislative statement indicated that the contract was terminated on February 25, at the request of the provider. The company’s argument was force majeure due to an outbreak of covid in its staff.
the supplier
In 2020, a report from the Yungas Joint Task Force stated that 63 of its 90 troops were sick. Due to the work that the uniformed officers carry out in a jungle area, dengue or hantavirus was suspected; but this time it was salmonellosis.
The internal investigations found the cause: the lack of hygiene in the preparation of food, a task that at that time was in charge of the company Gate Gourmet Catering Bolivia SA It was not the first time that the supplier had problems in that service destination .
Gate Gourmet is a recurring supplier of the State. For years it has provided services to Boliviana de Aviación, to Military Air Transport, to the General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics and to the Uelicn, dependent on the Ministry of Government.
On February 20, 2020, during the administration of Arturo Murillo as Minister of Government, the company was awarded two Uelicn contracts to prepare food for the FTC in the tropics and the Yungas. In the first case, the amount awarded was 25.9 million bolivianos, while in the second case it was 18.9 million bolivianos.
Until 2019, this service for the personnel dedicated to the eradication of illegal coca was awarded to three different companies. In 2020 it fell to only one.
“The rations are incomplete, there is a lack of hygiene, the food is in poor condition (…) the payment should not be made to the company because it would become a damage to the State,” says a fax sent by the commander of the Lieutenant Gironde camp. Yungas, on February 28, 2020. The complaint came just a week after the provision of the service.
According to the reports of the processes, in both cases a certificate from Senasag was requested, which, according to the contracting regulations, is not a requirement. Of all the proponents, only Gate Gourmet had such a document, which left the other companies out.
The awarded company did not verify the experience of the personnel that would attend these contracts in the field or in the attention of more than 700 diners.
Complaints about lack of supplies, kitchen equipment or safety were recurrent, but in Sicoes there is no record of any sanction or warning to terminate the contract.
In 2021, after a review of the awards, Del Castillo stated that in both cases there was a directing of the contracting. Page Seven consulted the Attorney General’s Office about the status of the two cases and a response from the entity is awaited.
They also tried to contact Gate Gourmet through the telephone numbers registered in Sicoes and the State supplier directory, but none of those provided are working.
In 2020, the Administration found deficiencies
“The company does not meet certain essential requirements for its operation, despite the fact that it is a nationally recognized company,” explained the then head of the Municipal Administration, Beltrán Dueña.
Among the violations noted were: poor handling of food, lack of hygiene in utensils and infrastructure, lack of protocols for the conservation of products, as well as food in poor condition.
Owner stated that the supplier would be sanctioned, but no further information was issued in this regard.
A report from the service in La Paz had the same observations of the premises where food was prepared for the Yungas FTC.
Despite complaints about the service, he signed two contracts with BOA
Both processes were carried out by direct contracting. The first contract registered in Sicoes dates from March 2020.
The award was for 3.2 million bolivianos. According to the documentation of the process, in the first instance the provision of the service should be carried out from February 5 to the first week of March. But an extension was made, without modifying the amount, until the end of April.
Once the contract was fulfilled, a new one was signed. This time for 29.7 million Bolivians. The service was to be provided during the remainder of 2020 and 2021.
Due to the restriction of flights due to the pandemic and, once reactivated, to the contagion prevention protocols that prevent serving food on the ship, the contract was not executed. For this reason, on December 31, 2021, BOA and the provider signed a modifying contract that extended this service until 2022.
Before Gate Gourmet was hired, BOA’s recurring supplier, since 2009, was the company Service Group SRL, also represented by Werner Guth Borda. In 2014, this company bought the defunct Air Caterig, noted for obtaining a direct contract with BOA while having Álvaro García Linera’s sister-in-law as a shareholder.
