The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is deeply concerning. It has disrupted, and will continue to disrupt, supply chains and increase costs across many industries.
This will impact human lives, business relationships and ongoing and future contracts. But we’ve been here before. The COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have presented unparalleled challenges to global trade. The lessons learnt from those disruptive events should not be lost.
I would like to focus on the likely impact of this latest conflict on supplies, services and works contracts with the government of Malta, usually signed following a competitive public procurement procedure.
I have three simple recommendations of a structural and permanent nature that would likely alleviate pressures and reduce uncertainty in Malta when similar events occur. The underlying premise is that the risks associated with such events should not be borne solely by the private sector.
