Government to Procure Vehicles from ‘Toyota Yerevan’ Without Bidding

The police patrol services will be established in the regions of Aragatsotn, Gegharkunik, Tavush, and Kotayk, following the examples set by Yerevan, Lori, and Shirak regions. The proposal for the decision was presented at the government meeting by the Chief of Police, Vahe Ghazaryan.

“To establish patrolling services in these four regions, the police plan to acquire 175 vehicles. The public tender for purchasing vehicles announced back in May did not take place as there were no participants. Subsequently, the police approached five official representatives of well-known automotive brands in Armenia, with only ‘Toyota Yerevan’ ready to supply vehicles with the required specifications and timelines,” Vahe Ghazaryan stated. The vehicles will be procured from ‘Toyota Yerevan’ LLC for a total cost of 3.1 billion drams.

Additionally, Prime Minister Pashinyan mentioned that this issue could have been part of the non-reporting agenda, but due to its sensitive nature, it was decided to report it. He also stated that all issues, particularly concerning vehicles, are discussed within the reform group on police matters, where heads of agencies and civil society representatives are present.

“For example, during the implementation of the patrol police in Shirak and Lori, the technical specifications of the vehicles were heavily discussed. There is a deficit of vehicles in the market, and we have invited representatives from companies operating in Armenia, informing them that we need vehicles with these parameters. Other companies have indicated that they cannot supply the vehicles within our proposed timelines. ‘Toyota Yerevan’ can bring in the vehicles but cannot supply the exact models that were delivered in Lori and Shirak. Therefore, for example, we agreed on black vehicles, similar to those in Shirak and Lori, although initially, there was a decision that all patrol service vehicles should be white,” Pashinyan noted.