The National Highway Company (NDS) on January 13 signed an agreement with SkyToll, the consortium led by French firm Sanef which won a controversial tender last year, to provide a comprehensive nationwide electronic road toll collection system.
NDS first announced the tender to award a provider and operator of the collection of electronic toll in 2007. Only one of the four applicants that submitted bids was deemed to have qualified; the others were excluded. The consequent winner, SanToll-Ibertax (now known as Skytoll), submitted the highest offer: approximately €863 million (Sk26 billion). The result emerged in May 2008 but up to mid-November 2008, the unsuccessful applicants (Kapsch, Slovakpass and ToSy) submitted a total of 12 objections, including two in 2007.
The last was rejected by the Public Procurement Office (ÚVO) on December 8, 2008. As the ÚVO didn't receive any new objections during the period set by the legislation, the NDS was able, according to the law, to sign the agreement with the winner. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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