The controversy over the tender for the new Chilean cards and passports adds a new chapter with the decision of the Civil Registry to annul the entire process and leave Aisino, the Chinese company that had achieved the award, empty-handed.
The controversy has been brewing for months. Early on it became known that, of all the bidders, Aisino had delivered the most economical proposal and, therefore, ran with an advantage over its competitors. Faced with this, it did not take long for questions to appear in the press, with different voices warning of possible negative consequences if the Asian firm achieved the award: that it could worsen the quality of the documents, that national security would be compromised by the handling of the personal data of Chileans, that diplomatic relations with other commercial partners such as the United States would be affected. with which the privilege of the Visa Waiver would be lost. Finally, it was this last point, together with alleged inconsistencies in the offer, that led the Civil Registry to decide to annul the process, dismissing the retorts that had been made in this regard by the Chinese embassy in Chile and even the president of Aisino, a company that has already announced legal actions.
An Ipsos survey revealed in April this year that 65% in Chile agree that investment by international companies in the country is essential to our growth and expansion, and our evidence shows that most people in Chile are open to the idea of foreign companies investing in the country. as long as the service they deliver is of good quality. If we take this to the case of the Civil Registry, several questions arise:
Did Aisino’s award really mean a decrease in the quality of the documents, and if so, why then was the bid best evaluated? Could it be that the rules of the contest gave very little importance to the technical aspect compared to the economic one? Recall that it was this very thing that gave the Chinese company an advantage over its competitors.
Why does the Civil Registry raise a tender whose legitimate award by one of the bidders is incompatible with the Waiver Visa program? And if this possibility was warned before the award was resolved, why do they wait until November, two months before the contract with the current supplier expires, to decree the annulment of the process?
Whether the error has been in the rules of the contest or in the Evaluation Commission, it seems a very clumsy and inefficient way of handling the situation by the authorities in charge. One that not only leaves Chileans unadessed who will draw up their new identity documents, but also undermines diplomatic relations between Chile and its main trading partner.
The content expressed in this opinion column is the sole responsibility of its author, and does not necessarily reflect the editorial line or position of El Mostrador.
