Chinese firm takes over bus service, no bid needed

The Chinese-owned Global (Cambodia) Trade Development company takes over today as Phnom Penh’s new municipal bus operator, although City Hall said Tuesday that the company did not have to go through a bidding process to get the contract. The creation of a permanent public bus system follows a successful one-month trial conducted by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which saw 42,000 passengers boarding daily buses along a single route on Monivong Boulevard. … Preap Kol, executive director of Transparency International Cambodia, said that the municipal government should be more open when it comes to the procurement of public services. “Public offers need to be made through a public process. The government should always go through a public and transparent process to ensure that the public and the government get the best possible deal,” he said. …

Simon Henderson and Sek Odom
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/chinese-firm-takes-over-bus-service-no-bid-needed-53513/