Infrastructure Malta spent a whopping €53 million in direct orders throughout 2025, data published in the Government Gazette and analysed by The Malta Independent on Sunday shows.
According to data published in the Government Gazette in the past week, the agency handed out a total of 116 direct orders between 1 July 2025 and 31 December 2025 worth €16.55 million.
These direct orders added to a list of another 145 direct orders worth a total of €36.46 million which the agency dished out in the first half of 2025.
222 of all the direct orders that Infrastructure Malta gave out during 2025 – worth €35.11 million – were for works that the agency carried out within its own remit, while the remaining 39 – worth €17.9 million – were for works that it carried out on behalf of other agencies.
As per the Government Gazette, the price of every single direct order – and therefore the totals above – is not inclusive of VAT.
This continues a pattern where Malta’s roads agency has preferred to resort to direct orders for a significant amount of its procurement needs, rather than a more conventional – and scrutinised – tender procedure.
A direct order is a process which effectively does away with the conventional tender procurement procedure: unlike in the case of a tender, a direct order can be given to anyone whom the contracting authority wishes.
There are instances where a direct order is justifiable: namely when no applications have been submitted in response to an open procedure, when the services – for artistic or technical reasons – can only be provided by a particular supplier, and when the works are deemed to be an emergency in nature.
In Infrastructure Malta’s case however, there is no such indication of any of the three aforementioned reasons – particularly the last one – for the majority of these direct orders.
Without a doubt the largest direct order was a whopping €6 million direct order given to contractors Elbros Construction Ltd for the reconstruction of the Ħal-Far Drag Racing Strip, including its containment walls, for homologation – work which Infrastructure Malta was commissioning on behalf of Sport Malta.
The political party ADPD had filed a request for the Auditor General to investigate the direct order in order to ascertain whether public procurement rules were being abused by the roads agency.
The next largest direct order was worth €5.6 million to the Malta branch of the company Trevi spA in relation to jet grouting works done at the Ras Ħanzir cargo facility. This particular direct order was covered by a voluntary transparency notice that Infrastructure Malta filed with procurement authorities.
In that notice, the agency said that the direct order was necessary because it “required continuation of certain works that were being carried out by the subcontractor appointed by the Original Contractor.”
All in all, there were a total of nine direct orders worth over €1 million which Infrastructure Malta handed out, and another 21 direct orders worth between €500,000 and €1 million.
A host of well-known contractors were recipients of several direct orders throughout 2025.
Philip Agius & Sons received five direct orders worth a total of €5.15 million. The largest direct order was worth €2.2 million and was given for road works in Triq ta’ Bur il-Kbir in Siġġiewi – a country road which the agency is widening to two lanes.
Several other contractors then also received a hefty amount in direct orders.
The company Central Asphalt Ltd received five direct orders worth a total of €2.55 million. €1.2 million of that figure was for roads in Mellieħa, and another €700,000 was for works on schemed roads in Ħaż-Żebbuġ. Only one of them – an €80,000 direct order for patching works in Santa Venera – was listed as urgent.
Bitmac Ltd received five direct orders worth a total of €2.07 million. The largest of these was a €842,730 direct order for cable laying works in St Julian’s on behalf of Enemalta, while the company also received €668,800 for the placement of barriers along Vjal Ragusa in Mosta.
V & C Contractors Ltd received eight direct orders worth a total of €1.88 million, while the majority Turkish-owned Excel Sis Enerji Uretim Ltd received six direct orders worth a total of €1.68 million.
Companies X-CAVA Projects Ltd and Schembri Barbos Ltd received nearly identical amounts: the former received four direct orders worth a total of €1.49 million, while the latter received five direct orders worth a total of €1.48 million.
In terms of quantity, the company to receive the most direct orders was IO Projects Ltd as it received 13 direct orders worth a total of €762,449. Seven of these direct orders were for maintenance of landscaping, four were for landscaping works, one was for “decorative bollards”, and another was for lighting works.
There were several direct orders handed out for promotional services as well.
For instance, the roads agency spent €9,945 to buy 6,500 skipping ropes from CMYK Advertising, another €9,640 to DVS Visual Communications Ltd for the branding placed on hoarding at Bugibba Square, and €48,650 to Davies Design Group Ltd for the branding of its own offices in Luqa.
A total of €16,040 was spent across two direct orders to The Notebook Centre and red-U media for “branded stationary” and there were more direct orders for things such as banners – €5,841.01 to Projectshub Ltd and €34,078.14 to SB and C Limited, promotional stands at the University of Malta and MCAST – €8,250 to red-U media, and for a stand at a Boat Show – for which Infrastructure Malta paid Davies Design Group Ltd €19,550 for the design, Far Group €5,150 for the backdrop of the stand and Ta’ Xmun €6,940 for catering.
A press conference held on 9 October to announce a major regeneration project in Marsaxlokk cost the agency a €6,384 from a company called Audience, while the agency also paid singer Glen Vella €5,500 to perform at an event on 4 July.