OBJECTIONS filed by unsuccessful consortiums competing for a Sk20 billion deal to build and operate an electronically-controlled toll system in Slovakia have caused a postponement of the project.
The Public Procurement Office (ÚVO) has dismissed an objection by the Austrian company Kapsch TrafficCom, that claimed that other bidders submitted bids with false information concerning the effectiveness of their toll collection, the SITA newswire wrote on August 12.
“The ÚVO dismissed the objection of the Kapsch group, since ÚVO did not share the opinion that the effectiveness of toll collection offered by other bidders was unrealistic,” Helena Fialová, the ÚVO spokesperson told SITA.
However, ÚVO has received other two objections filed by Slovakpass and ToSy, which are still unresolved.
“ÚVO is studying these motions, the decisions will be issued by September 2 in the first case and by September 8, 2008, in the second case,” said Fialová. She revealed no details of the objections.
Despite the fact that it has submitted the highest bid, the group SanToll-Ibertax, is the only company currently in the competition since the National Highway Company (NDS) has excluded the rest. SanToll bid Sk25.67 billion (€852.1 million) including value-added tax. According to the NDS, the original deadline for the tender of January 1, 2009 is now unrealistic and will have to be moved back.
