Israel Cancels Tender After Winning Bid Linked to Former Ministry Official

The tender, published on August 1, 2024, was initially awarded on April 22, 2025, to M.S. Shiluvim BaKehila, also referred to as M.S. Shilev B'Kehila. The competing firm, Ben Yair HaSharon, filed an appeal alleging unfair scoring and a conflict of interest. Their investigation revealed that the winning company is owned by Miri Sha'ir, the mother of Dr. Rotem Efodi, who served as the senior deputy director-general of the ministry's rehabilitation and prevention administration until May 2023 and was involved in formulating the tender.

Although the winning company initially declared no family ties to ministry employees, the connection became known when Dr. Efodi herself handled the technical aspects of submitting the bid. The tender committee cited a potential conflict of interest, serious damage to the appearance of equality, and concern for public trust in its cancellation decision. The ministry stated that while no actual conflict of interest was found after a legal review, it adopted a strict approach. Seven months have passed since the cancellation, and a new tender has not yet been published, potentially allowing the original winner to bid again.