Direct Awards Under Scrutiny: “The Technical Chamber Asked One Thing, the Port Fund Answered Another”
The municipal group “I Kalymnos allazei” (“Kalymnos Is Changing”) has entered the growing public debate over the direct award of technical studies and services by the Municipal Port Fund of Kalymnos, arguing that key questions raised by the local branch of the Technical Chamber of Greece remain unanswered.
In a statement signed by its leader, Giorgos Mavros, the group claims that the Port Fund’s recent response relied on broad references to contractor expertise, the need to accelerate projects and the funding secured for Kalymnos, without addressing the specific concerns raised by the Technical Chamber’s Permanent Committee of Kalymnos.
“No one disputes that Kalymnos needs infrastructure projects or that securing funding is a positive development for our island,” the group states. It adds, however, that funding was not the central issue raised by the Technical Chamber.
“What objective criteria were used?”
According to the municipal group, the Technical Chamber neither questioned the contractors’ scientific qualifications nor argued that the projects should be delayed. Its central question was why firms and companies based outside Kalymnos had repeatedly been selected through direct awards and what objective criteria were used to determine that local professionals could not undertake the work.
“I Kalymnos allazei” argues that the Port Fund’s statement did not clarify:
- whether the possible participation of Kalymnian engineers had been examined before the contracts were awarded,
- what evidence demonstrated that the selected contractors possessed the required specialist expertise,
- how many contracts were awarded to professionals based on Kalymnos and how many went to contractors from outside the island,
- why, according to the Technical Chamber, no substantive response was given when the same matter was raised in 2025.
The group maintains that listing projects and funding achievements does not answer questions about the decision-making process. It also says it will address, at a later stage, which of the projects cited by the Port Fund can be attributed to its current administration.
Call for full disclosure
The municipal group welcomes the Port Fund’s stated respect for the Technical Chamber and its willingness to cooperate. However, it argues that meaningful institutional dialogue should take place before decisions are made, rather than only after public criticism has emerged.
It also stresses that the issue should not be turned into a dispute between Kalymnian engineers and professionals based elsewhere. The real question, it says, is whether the procedures followed guarantee equal opportunity, transparency and objectivity for everyone.
The group is therefore calling on the president of the Municipal Port Fund to publish:
- the number of direct awards for technical studies and services made during the past two years,
- their combined financial value,
- how many were awarded to Kalymnian professionals and how many to contractors based outside the island,
- the specific selection criteria applied in each case.
“Administrative effectiveness and transparency in decision-making are not opposing principles. On the contrary, they must coexist,” the statement says.
Concluding its intervention, “I Kalymnos allazei” argues that while Kalymnos undoubtedly needs new projects, it also needs institutions that operate with full accountability, transparency and equal opportunities for all the island’s scientists and professionals.
