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A deep dive by Cyprus’ Auditor General has uncovered a troubling pattern in how the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth has been handling public project contracts, and the red flags go back nearly a decade.
The findings, laid out in a special report, according to Kathimerini's Apostolos Tomaras, show that from 2015 to 2023, the Ministry’s Technical Services (TS) routinely relied on a fast-track method for awarding contracts known as “summary procedures.” While this approach is meant to speed things up for smaller or urgent projects, the frequency and scale of its use raised suspicions that it may have been abused — and possibly costing taxpayers more money than necessary.
686 tenders...but at what cost?
In total, 686 projects were awarded using summary procedures over the eight-year period, averaging about 76 a year. According to the Auditor General, this over-reliance on quick contracting likely shut the door on better deals, broader competition, and potentially lower prices. In several instances, only one bid was submitted, and in some of those cases, it came in higher than what the Ministry itself had estimated.
Even more worrying, in nearly half the contracts reviewed (48.3%), the final contract value exceeded the Ministry’s own cost estimates. This, the Auditor General says, points to a disconnect from the real market prices and raises concerns over how cost estimates are being made in the first place.
Where’s the accountability?
Things didn’t just stop at over-budget contracts. In about 47% of the projects where final accounting had been done, the actual cost ended up being well over the signed contract amount. That suggests either poor planning, poor oversight, or both.
On top of that, the report found that final project accounts were missing altogether for nearly 30% of the reviewed cases, some of them going back as far as 2015. This leaves a significant number of taxpayer-funded projects without proper closure or cost accountability.
Legal lines crossed
The report also points to breaches of public procurement laws. Specifically, in some cases, contracts exceeding €50,000 (before VAT) were awarded under summary procedures, a clear violation of Article 90 of the relevant law, which sets strict limits on when this shortcut can be used.
In five projects, the date on the inspection certificate was later than the official acceptance date of the project, an irregularity that calls into question how closely these projects were monitored.
A pattern, not an accident
The numbers tell a story:
35.4% of the projects had similar scopes, a potential sign of poor planning and missed opportunities to bundle them for cost savings.
29% were awarded at least 10% above the Ministry’s own estimates.
27.4% lacked sufficient competition, meaning the Ministry may not have gotten the best value.
In two cases, the estimated value was quietly changed after the bids were submitted.
In two others, the legal threshold for summary procedures was clearly exceeded.
The Auditor General is urging public bodies, not just the Education Ministry, to stick to both the letter and the spirit of the law when awarding contracts. That means planning ahead, encouraging open competition, and keeping tight reins on costs, all to ensure transparency and better use of public funds.
