Audit finds IKEM repeatedly bypassed competitive bidding and internal controls

The Supreme Audit Office identified multiple breaches of procurement rules at the Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (IKEM). Investigators found the centre repeatedly divided work into individual orders and accepted single-offer prices without checking whether they matched prevailing market rates. Contracts for application development, cybersecurity, and other services were repeatedly granted to the same three suppliers without competition, amounting to substantial payments.

IKEM also purchased an experimental MRI scanner at a single quoted price and continued to order laundry services from an existing provider after the contract had ended, limiting competition. The audit noted missing documentation for the disposal of assets and repeated failures of the institute’s internal control system. IKEM’s management has already implemented a series of remedial measures, and the audit recommends that the Ministry of Health ensure effective oversight going forward.