The second tender for the western bypass has been canceled as well.
The bypass aims to alleviate traffic congestion (illustration), Photo: Luka Zekovic
The Traffic Administration has canceled the second tender for the construction of the western bypass after all bids were rejected due to incomplete documentation, meaning bidders failed to provide all necessary information for the tender process.
Three bids were submitted for this tender: “Euromont stil,” “Bemax,” and “Briv Construction.”
The proposed section spans three kilometers and is planned to be built from the Komanski Bridge to the roundabout near the “Grand” furniture store in Donja Gorica.
This second tender was announced at the end of March and remained open until the end of April, with an estimated value of 20.32 million euros.
The cancellation notice explained that “Bemax” submitted an inadequate statement, leading to ambiguity regarding who would oversee the execution of the electrical low and high current works not assigned to a subcontractor, and the bidder’s ability to manage the activity was only evidenced through the subcontractor.
The bid from the Podgorica firm “Bemax” was worth 17,639,017 euros, with their subcontractor being the company “BB Solar.” “BB Solar” has founders, including Blazo Djukanovic (son of former president Milo Đukanović) and Ivan Burzanović.
The company “Euromont stil” submitted a joint bid totaling 17,359,079 euros, partnering with local firms such as “Geo-sistem,” “Projekt sistem,” “Lux house,” “Lmont,” along with “Hidro consulting,” “Optimusproject,” and “Telemont.” This bid was rejected due to unclear responsibilities outlined by “Lux house” regarding “procurement of materials, equipment, machinery, and transportation” essential for the construction works along the route.
Moreover, it was noted that “Lux House” failed to properly delegate the tasks as stipulated in the joint performance contract to its subcontractors based on their capabilities and qualifications, according to the Traffic Administration’s statement.
“Briv Construction” proposed a bid of 18,866,407 euros, with subcontractors “Ramel” from Nikšić and “Viamon” from Kolašin. This proposal was excluded because it was found that the statement was not correctly drafted and lacked the required electronic signature per legal requirements.
Both “Bemax” and “Briv” were participants in the first tender held from late September to late October of the previous year. They were the only bidders at that time, but by late November, the Administration deemed their bids invalid, leading to a request for tender cancellation. “Bemax” appealed this decision, prompting the Commission for the Protection of Rights in Public Procurement Procedures to direct that the Administration reevaluate the bids and select a contractor again. Following this, “Briv” filed a lawsuit against the Commission in the Administrative Court to contest this directive.
As the tender process continued, the Management awarded the contract to “Bemax” during the subsequent selection at the end of December last year due to their best offer, despite “Briv” proposing 17.96 million euros. However, they were excluded from the procedure. On January 9, “Briv” appealed this decision, claiming the Management failed to accurately and completely assess the situation, misapplied the law, and violated tender regulations. Eventually, the Commission annulled the tender at the end of February, determining that the Management did not grant “Briv Construction” access to some requested tender documentation.
The main objective of the western bypass is to reroute transit traffic from Vojislavljevića Street to Zabjela, thereby alleviating congestion on this route.
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