90% of engineering contracts in Colombia ‘rigged’: Engineers
90% of engineering contracts in Colombia ‘rigged’: Engineers
posted by Steven Cohen
Aug 5, 2013
Colombia’s system for awarding public contracts is massively corrupt, according to portesters from the engineering sector.
What was labeled the “‘Firmathon’ for the Dignity of Colombian Engineering” was in fact a set of parallel protests that took place last week in major cities across Colombia launched with the intent of drawing attention and signatures to a letter set to be sent to President Juan Manuel Santos on behalf of engineers and related professionals.
The public demonstrations came in the aftermath of the recent announcement from Comptroller General Sandra Morelli that 42% of all public contracts are operated by only 60 engineering firms.
The Association of Risaralda Engineers were the driving force behind last week’s protests, the biggest of which took place in Pereira, the local capital.
The mission, as stated in the protest’s Facebook page, was to ask “all the engineers, architects, industry owners or employees in the construction sector, engineering students and related parties to join us and sign the letter being delivered to President Santos to make demands regarding his policies that increasingly devalue national engineering and labor, as well as the concentration and displacement of Colombian professionals by foreign and financial interests.”
More:
http://colombiareports.com/90-of-contracts-are-rigged-says-association-of-rasaralda-engineers/