Construction companies Skanska and Strabag submitted their complaint over their exclusion from public competition for construction of the cross-country D1 highway section Lietavská Lúčka - Višňové - Dubná Skala to the Public Procurement Office (ÚVO). They consider it an error, saying that the National Highway Company (NDS) had originally accepted their offer, the SITA newswire reported.
Skanska and Strabag offered to construct the 13.5-kilometre section near Žilina, including the 7.5-kilometre Višňové tunnel, for €338.29 million, without VAT. The sum represents only 37.7 percent of the costs expected by NDS. The second lowest bid was submitted by a consortium of companies, Doprastav, Metrostav and Marti Contractors, which offered €382.83 million.
The unsuccessful bidder later sent the ÚVO a complaint in which it challenged the very low amount and the proposed ventilation system in the Višňové tunnel. The ÚVO accepted the complaint and ordered the NDS to re-assess the bids. The NDS subsequently excluded the Strabag and Skanska’s bid and provisionally accepted the bid by Doprastav, Metrostav and Marti Contractors, SITA wrote.
“The reason for exclusion of the bid of our consortium is very surprising and strange,” said Magdaléna Dobišová, CEO of Skanska, as quoted by SITA. “The only reasonable explanation is that there was a mistake on the side of procurer, or incorrect assessment of the bid. In any other case we would have to consider our exclusion purposeful and tendentious.”
Source: SITA
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
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