The Albanian Parliament plans to open procurement procedures with a total value of 265 million lek, or about 2.9 million euros, by the end of this year.
One of the highest-value tenders is for the establishment of the “MediaHub” platform, an integrated communications package that is expected to use artificial intelligence. About 400 thousand euros are planned for this project, which is seen as the first step towards the creation of a parliamentary television.
However, the project that will determine how this mechanism will function has not yet been drafted. Its drafting alone is expected to cost taxpayers around 6,500 euros.
The first attempt to find an entity or individual to draft the project failed. On March 9, a procurement procedure was opened, which, surprisingly, was expected to remain open for only 24 hours. Within this deadline, interested entities had to prepare the offer and all relevant documentation. The procedure was closed unsuccessfully, as no offer was submitted.
Another significant item in the procurement plan is travel abroad. The Assembly plans to spend around 400 thousand euros just on purchasing plane tickets for international travel.
Another 200,000 euros will be used to purchase chairs for the plenary session hall and armchairs. According to estimates, one chair is expected to cost an average of 1,000 to 1,300 euros.
The list of expenses also includes 250 thousand euros for the purchase of fuel, while the same amount is planned for increasing cybersecurity capacities.
The maintenance of the two Parliament buildings is expected to cost 25 thousand euros, while an equal amount will be spent on hygiene and sanitary materials.
23 thousand euros have been allocated for the maintenance of photocopiers, while another 60 thousand euros will go to heating and cooling systems in the plenary session hall and the building of the Presidency of the Assembly.
So, out of the total of around 2.9 million euros, the largest portion is spent on technology and communication, international travel, furniture, fuel, and cybersecurity.