Tech entrepreneur questions ‘fishy’ Rs. 174m tourism consultancy contract

Sri Lankan technology entrepreneur and computer scientist Sanjiva Weerawarna has raised questions over a Rs. 173.86 million consultancy contract approved by the Cabinet for an Asian Development Bank-funded tourism development programme.

In a post on X, Weerawarna described aspects of the consultancy arrangement as “fishy” and called on senior government figures to look into the matter.

The Cabinet has approved the consultancy contract for the Sustainable Tourism Sector Development Programme, which is being implemented with a US$30 million ADB loan.

According to the Cabinet decision, the contract was recommended for award to Resources Development Consultants (Pvt) Ltd, in association with Novel Interdisciplinary Consulting Enterprise (Pvt) Ltd, both Sri Lankan companies.

The programme is expected to improve tourism facilities and upgrade infrastructure at selected attractions in the Dambulla-Sigiriya and Trincomalee areas.

The Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development received expressions of interest from 15 consultancy firms, after which six were invited to submit proposals. Five proposals were evaluated before the Cabinet-appointed Consultancy Procurement Committee recommended awarding the contract for Rs. 173.86 million, excluding VAT.

Weerawarna focused his concerns on Novel Interdisciplinary Consulting Enterprise, or NICE, and shared what he identified as the company’s website.

He claimed that the website’s domain had been registered in March 2025 and questioned the quality and content of the site, saying parts of it did not function correctly and that he encountered an Arabic-language form while navigating it.

Weerawarna also shared screenshots which he said showed information relating to the company’s projects, client comments and management, and questioned aspects of the material displayed on the site.

He further referred to publicly available professional profiles which he said appeared to identify individuals associated with the company, including its managing director and another director.

Weerawarna did not allege that the procurement process had been unlawfully conducted, but called for the circumstances surrounding the consultancy arrangement and the company involved to be examined. (Newswire)

Cabinet approves Rs. 174 m consultancy contract for $ 30 m tourism development programhttps://t.co/BaBb71cAPE

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