After "Vezilka," Another €1.6 Million for AI — a New Need or a Duplicate Cost?
The General Secretariat published, then withdrew the tender. Two institutions, two different lines on the same question.
The Government's General Secretariat published, then cancelled, a tender for AI-support hardware and software worth 100 million denars — about €1.6 million, for a 36-month period. The tender sat in the revised Public Procurement Plan published on 27 July, exactly one month after "Vezilka," the national AI centre worth €6-6.5 million and funded through the EU's Horizon Europe programme, was unveiled.
The obvious question: why does the government need another AI system, having already invested in "Vezilka," promoted as a comprehensive solution? The General Secretariat, in an official response via the government spokesperson, said the new procurement does not duplicate Vezilka: "These are different components with different purposes, which in certain cases can complement each other." The infrastructure, it said, is meant for the e-government system, not Vezilka's research-and-development function.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation, meanwhile — indirectly, without openly contradicting the Secretariat — suggests Vezilka could have met the same needs listed in the cancelled tender's technical specification.
The two institutions don't openly contradict each other, but they answer different questions: the Secretariat defends why the purchase was needed, the ministry hints it might not have been. The tender was cancelled, but whether that was for technical reasons or because of public pressure has not been explained.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · September 19, 2026