SPECTACLE with the tender for cameras at customs, the Public Procurement Commission orders the cancellation of the tender for the second time: Is it "packaged" for AlbaScan?

The Public Procurement Commission has again ordered the suspension of the tender for the installation of security cameras at customs, finding that the National Information Society Agency has not implemented the previous decision dated May 27, 2025. According to verifications conducted by the Public Procurement Commission, the changes to the tender documents are superficial and do not meet the main requirement for the unification of technical specifications, especially for "Outdoor Bullet" cameras.

This is the second decision of the PPC for this tender, forcing the NAKSHI to change the technical documentation and immediately stop the current procedure, with direct consequences on the timing and development of the project.

CSP's first complaint and warning about favoritism

The scandal began when the company CSP SHPK, owned by Klevis Xhagolli, filed a complaint with the KPP accusing AKSHI of drafting a documentation that favored the equipment of a specific manufacturer: the Chinese company Uniview, through the model IPC6858ER-X40-VF. According to CSP, the technical specifications were “tailored” only for this equipment, excluding any other alternative on the market and destroying free competition between operators.

Kapitali.al and Skyweb.al previously reported that Uniview is a company sanctioned by the United States of America for human rights violations, as its technology has been used for mass surveillance of minorities such as Uyghurs.

Despite this, Uniview's products were included in the AKSHI tender, while it was required that the employees who would install the cameras have security certificates from the National Authority for Classified Information Security (AKSIK).

First cancellation: AKSHI (pretends) to withdraw in the face of the KPP order

After reviewing the CSP's complaint and increasing public pressure, the PPC on May 27, 2025 partially accepted the complaint and ordered the NAKSHI to modify the technical specifications and eliminate any elements that restricted competition.

AKSH reacted by canceling the tender and re-announcing the procedure, claiming that it had improved the documentation according to the Commission's order.

However, the concerns were not resolved.

Second complaint: CSP accuses of recycling the same discriminatory criteria

Immediately after the re-announcement of the tender, CSP filed a second complaint, arguing that the changes were minimal, while the technical specifications remained essentially the same and continued to favor the same brand.

In this complaint, CSP denounced that the tender continues to be designed to impose a certain solution and close the competition to other operators, leading to unjustified cost increases and violations of the Public Procurement Law.

Uniview's Albanian representative office and links with AlbaScan

Another detail that aggravates the situation is that Uniview has no direct representation in Albania. Its products are offered through the intermediary AlbaScan, officially listed as a partner of Uniview. In this way, through an indirect structure, the technology of a sanctioned company attempts to penetrate the Albanian customs security system, creating a direct risk to national security and compliance with Euro-Atlantic standards.

Final decision of the Public Procurement Commission: AKSHI to change the conditions and re-announce the tender

In its decision dated 9 June 2025, the KPP assesses that the AKSHI has violated the previous decision, by not making the required unification between the certifications in the technical tables and the “TORs” document. The Commission notes that this discrepancy brings uncertainty for economic operators and undermines the transparency of the process, implying that the tender has been “packaged” for AlbaScan. 

As a result, the CPC stops the continuation of the procedure and requests the NAIS to correct the documentation for the second time, fully respecting the previous decisions.

This should lead to a third re-announcement of the tender, with corrected and technically harmonized conditions, in order to guarantee real competition and non-disadvantage. / skyweb.al