Antigen self-tests for Latvia are currently being packed at a Chinese airport and are waiting to be delivered to Latvia by plane on Monday, December 13, said representatives of the test supplier – SIA “Brief”.
The portal NRAja already wrote that SIA Brief had once been selected as a supplier of barbed wire for the construction of a temporary fence along the Belarusian border, but since the company was unable to supply it with barbed wire, The State Security Agency (SEA) terminated the contract with this company for the supply of barbed wire.
SIA Brief had to deliver self-tests until yesterday. The state-owned company has committed to pay 4.16 million euros without value added tax for four million self-tests.
The company claims that the factory started work on packing the antigen tests on the same day as the contract with the state. “Putting together four million tests with instructions in Latvian and gluing the appropriate stickers is handmade, and it took the factory four full working days. All tests were already on Thursday. [9.decembrī] were packed in transport boxes and placed on air cargo pallets, awaiting Chinese airport approval for a commercial flight to Latvia, “says Brief.
The company also notes that although it is currently extremely difficult to book a plane in the world due to the Christmas shopping fever, the flight has been confirmed and it will arrive in Latvia on Monday. Brief is convinced that “Riga Airport understands the importance of cargo and will make every effort to unload cargo as soon as possible”.
According to the company, transporting the tests is very complicated because the tests must not freeze. For this reason, they are transported in Latvia by trucks equipped with thermoregulation.
Brief informs that in cooperation with the National Defense Logistics and Procurement Center (VALIC) a time plan has been developed for faster delivery of tests to the warehouse and further dispatch across Latvia, so that all educational and municipal institutions will receive their shipments within the next week.
Although the tests were originally scheduled to arrive in Latvia on Friday, the Chinese airport unilaterally postponed the flight one working day later, but this would not affect the delivery deadlines in any way, the company reports.
Brief is ready to fulfill all the conditions of the contract, assuming the risks related to logistics. “Internal logistics in the territory of Latvia is also a certain challenge for VALIC due to the safe transportation of tests and ensuring the appropriate temperature,” the company points out.
The company also recalls that the initially selected supplier of the first batch of antigen self-tests was SIA Ekspress laboratorija and another tenderer refused to enter into a contract. Brief were the only ones who could bring the tests “quickly and cheaply”.
According to the company, the next applicant offers to deliver the tests more expensive, as well as they would reach Latvia a week later, when the Christmas holidays would have already started and delivery of the tests to educational and municipal institutions would not be possible.
In its turn, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) emphasizes that according to the agreement concluded between the National Defense and Logistics Procurement Center and Brief, the company will be subject to a contractual penalty for each day of delay – 41,600 euros per day.
According to the terms of the framework agreement, if the supplier does not deliver the goods within the specified time, a contractual penalty of 0.5% or, if a state of emergency has been declared, 1% of the amount of the undelivered goods for each day of delay, but not more than 10 % of the total amount of the supply contract, the ministry notes.
At the same time, despite the situation, the MoD, together with the National Armed Forces and the Ministry of Education and Science, has prepared a plan for the delivery of antigen tests and plans to deliver them by 17 December, giving priority to educational institutions, social care centers and other public institutions.
It has already been reported that VALIC has signed its first contract for the supply of Covid-19 antigen self-tests with Brief at a cost of € 1.04 per test kit, which was the amount submitted during the initial negotiated procedure. The total amount of the contract for four million self-tests is 4.16 million euros without value added tax.
At the end of November, the first contract for the supply of these tests was planned to be concluded with another company – “Express Laboratory”, which promised to deliver the tests for 0.75 euros, but the company refused to conclude the contract because it could not deliver the tests within the promised term. As a result, the cost of the first purchase has now risen from € 3 to € 4.16 million.
The government’s initial regulation stipulated that from December 6, Covid-19 should be tested twice a week using antigen self-tests for on-the-spot work where contact with other employees, recipients or visitors is possible, but the decision was later changed. and it is determined that rapid testing of Covid-19 by employees will be voluntary.
It has also been reported that the Ministry of Defense and the National Armed Forces, together with the Ministry of Education and Science and the State Fire and Rescue Service, have developed a plan to supply antigen tests to educational institutions throughout Latvia by 17 December, LETA was informed.
According to the information of “Firmas.lv”, “Brief” was registered in October 2015 and its share capital is 3000 euros. The sole owner of the company is Ildze Voita. In 2020, the company had a turnover of 6.048 million euros and a profit of 683,024 euros.
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