PKN Orlen to organize tender for the delivery of oil

Poland's largest fuel producer, PKN Orlen, announced plans to organize an open tender for the delivery of crude oil. According to unofficial sources quoted by Rzeczpospolita, the Plock-based company is seeking ways to limit the purchase of oil from one Russian supplier to 45%. Currently Orlen's main supplier is a company owned by J&S, which handles 63% of all deliveries. The long-term contract with J&S, which was signed in the mid 1990's, expires in December. The management of PKN Orlen made the decision to organize a tender only a few days ago, but has not said when the tender will open. The contract with J&S is surrounded by controversy, mainly due to the origins of the company and its owners, two Ukrainians, who arrived in Poland in the mid 1980's, received Polish citizenship in 1993 and the same year opened a company in Cyprus under the name of J&S Service and Investment. This contract had been defended on the grounds that it ensured both the cheapest and most reliable source of crude oil, while all accusations of corruption were denied, even though the Polish company could get the oil directly from Russian producers. Some time ago the head of PKN Orlen, Zbigniew Wrobel, announced that J&S might win the tender if they offer the best terms. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B2) A.K.