FOUR of the five consortia invited to tender for an electronic road toll collection contract submitted bids by the deadline of March 13. The National Highway Company (NDS) confirmed to the SITA newswire that the Satways consortium led by the Slovak Telekom withdrew from the tender.
"All the addressed applicants, except the Satways consortium, delivered bids in the tender," Marcel Jánošík, the NDS spokesperson told SITA. The NDS estimates the contract will be worth Sk20 billion (Ř615.4 million) excluding VAT.
Slovak Telekom withdrew from a similar tender in the Czech Republic.
The list of remaining tender applicants comprises: a consortium led by Italian highway company Autostrade per I'Italia S.p.A., Rome (Slovakpass); a Slovak-Swiss consortium led by Bratislava-based Elektrovod Holding, (ToSy); a group headed by the Austrian firm Kapsch TrafficCom AG, Vienna (Kapsch); and a group comprised of Ibertax Bratislava and SanToll (SanToll), backed by the French firm Sanef.
Electronic toll collection is due to start operating in Slovakia on January 1, 2009, for vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes. Tolls will be charged on a 2,400-kilometre network of roads and highways.
The NDS plans to sign an initial 14-year contract to run the toll collection system, with the option of a five year extension.
