Split procurement scandal: Land Friend selected despite missing cost estimates

Internal emails have revealed details regarding the ‘biostabilizer affair’ involving the procurement of a 365,000 euro waste recycling machine by the Split municipal utility company, Čistoća. The investigation, conducted by the Economic Crime Department, focuses on the selection of the company Land Friend from Smederevo.

According to the leaked communications, Land Friend submitted a bid that included an unopenable cost estimate document and marked ‘no’ for several mandatory technical specifications. Despite recommendations from procurement staff to reject the bid, the company was selected. Emails suggest that Split Mayor Ivica Puljak attempted to use software to open the corrupted document to prevent its rejection, following instructions that the bid should not be discarded if it could be recovered in any way.

The controversy is further complicated by allegations involving former Čistoća director Ivica Karoglan. Investigations are looking into whether procurement documentation was drafted by Land Friend employees and whether a former manager of the Karepovac landfill was on the company’s payroll while using their vehicles. The second bidder was ultimately bypassed because their price exceeded the estimated value.