Swiss mayor's husband's firm awarded lucrative municipal contracts amid conflict of interest concerns

The Swiss municipality of Embrach has awarded contracts totaling 1.1 million Swiss francs to a single engineering firm specializing in water cycle solutions between 2019 and 2025. Most of these contracts, typically awarded without public tender as they fell below the 150,000 franc threshold, have raised questions about potential conflicts of interest.

The core of the concern lies in the fact that the head of the engineering firm's Zurich branch is married to Embrach's mayor, Rebekka Bernhardsgrütter Derungs. Reports indicate that the mayor signed off on these contract awards, often omitting her husband's surname. Notably, the number of contracts awarded to the firm reportedly saw a "leap" after Bernhardsgrütter Derungs was elected mayor in 2022.

Ralph Weber, president of the municipal audit committee (RPK), has criticized the awarding practice, questioning why this particular firm was consistently chosen for engineering services. Weber's concerns prompted an intervention, though the district council initially found no issues, stating all awards were legally compliant and the mayor had no personal interest. Nevertheless, to avoid the appearance of impropriety, the mayor began recusing herself from such decisions following the RPK's intervention, after which the number of awarded contracts reportedly declined.

The municipality, through municipal clerk Daniel von Büren, defended its process, emphasizing that procurement responsibilities lie with him and department heads, not the mayor directly. Von Büren stated that Embrach often does not lead on civil engineering projects, with recent work including the expansion of a district heating network.