The Minister of Transport, Georgi Gvozdeikov, switched to direct negotiations on the mega-order for the purchase of 35 new locomotives, inviting 4 companies for negotiations, reports “Sega”.
From a published announcement in the public procurement register, it is clear that Gvozdeykov will negotiate with the companies that unsuccessfully participated in the previous order, as well as with the Polish division of the German “Stadler”, which has already signed a contract for another large order with the ministry for 7 double-decker trains .
The mega-auction has an estimated value of BGN 1.1 billion, and it will purchase 35 motor trains with a minimum of 200 seats and a speed of over 160 km/h.
In the previous public procurement, bids were opened to two companies – Škoda and PESA, and a consortium around the Romanian “Alstom” contested the procurement. However, it was terminated not because of Alstom’s complaint, but because of the terms proposed by the companies, which go beyond the maximum set by the contracting authority. The Ministry of Transport is insisting on receiving the locomotives within 28 months from the entry into force of the contracts, with both companies that submitted bids claiming a longer delivery period.
And under the direct negotiation procedure, the delivery term remains unchanged – 28 months. It is dictated by the expiration of the horizon for the implementation of the National Plan for Recovery and Sustainability – 2026. Bulgaria risks not being able to claim part of the money if individual investments and reforms fall behind, explains “Now”. It is not clear whether in the case of direct negotiation it will be possible to arrive at offers that manage to fit in. Otherwise, the price offers of both Skoda and PESA are well below the announced estimated value – BGN 617.8 million and BGN 822.5 million, respectively.
It is clear from the documentation on the new direct negotiation procedure that the estimated amount of BGN 1.1 billion includes an option for the delivery of additional trains, and the costs of their delivery and maintenance cannot exceed BGN 369.5 million. BGN
The deadline for submitting offers is May 21. They will be open a day later.
The purchase of new trains for the railways is one of the biggest investments under the recovery and sustainability plan. If Bulgaria fails to receive all the funding under the plan due to delays, individual projects will have to be financed with funds from the national budget.
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