The Public Procurement Office (ÚVO) suspended proceedings concerning objections from three applicants who were expelled from the tender to supply a electronic toll collection service in Slovakia.
The office's spokesperson, Helena Fialová, informed the SITA newswire that the ÚVO still needs to ask for an expert opinion on the contested facts.
"The original deadline to decide on objections - June 23 and 25, 2008 - will thus be extended as necessary," said Fialová.
She said she expects the decisions to be issued in early July 2008 because the ÚVO usually has 30 days to decide on objections.
The complaints were submitted by the Slovakpass consortium; a consortium led by Austrian company Kapsch Traffic Com; and a Slovak-Swiss consortium ToSy.sk led by Elektrovod Holding, a.s. Eight bidders originally applied for the tender, of which only five were selected.
Electronic toll collection is to be implemented in Slovakia for motor vehicles weighing over 3.5 tonnes on highways, dual-carriageways and parts of the first-category roads with a total length of 2,400 kilometers. The selected provider is to supply the service based on the DBFOT (design, build, finance, operate and transfer) system.
The NDS set the estimated price of the toll system at Sk20 billion. According to unofficial information, Slovakpass submitted the lowest bid, Sk19.006 billion, including VAT; ToSy.sk supposedly bid Sk19.62 billion; and Kapsch bid Sk22.575 billion.
The highest bid, Sk25.67 billion, was made by the assumed winners, SanToll - Ibertax, backed by French firm Sanef. SITA
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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