The Commission for the Protection of Rights in Public Procurement Procedures has dismissed the appeal from “Decom Group” and “Louis Berger,” deeming it unfounded. This decision pertains to the awarding of a contract to the Podgorica company “Put Inženjering” for the development of a conceptual design for the Nikšić-Žabljak-Pljevlja expressway, valued at 192,390 euros.

This expressway spans 96 kilometers and includes the sections Nikšić-Šavnik, Šavnik-Žabljak, and Žabljak-Pljevlja, where bridges and tunnels are set to be constructed.

“Monteput” released the tender for this conceptual design on December 24 of the previous year, which closed on January 27. By mid-February, the state-owned company identified “Put inženjering” as the most favorable bidder. As a result, the bids from “Decom Group” and “Louis Berger” were deemed incorrect, prompting an appeal from those companies at the end of February.

“Decom” and “Louis Berger” assert that the tender guidelines were violated, claiming that facts were inaccurately and incompletely assessed, and that “Monteput” improperly rejected their proposals as incorrect. They argue that the tender did not mandate specifying which of their employees would undertake the conceptual design for the bridges, asserting they were only required to name one licensed engineering professional.

They further contest “Monteput’s” evaluation of “Put inženjering’s” proposal as valid, arguing that the certificate of engineering experience lacked comprehensive data or clarity on whether it applied to the entire route or just a segment. Consequently, they requested the Commission to accept their appeal, annul the prior decision, and direct “Monteput” to rectify the identified irregularities.

“Monteput,” in its response, contended that the complaint is entirely unfounded, asserting that the project specifications explicitly required indicating which of the two firms would handle the conceptual design of the bridge.

The Commission concluded that “Decom Group” and “Louis Berger” had incorrectly complained about the requirement to appoint a person responsible for preparing the conceptual design for the bridges, as they could have raised concerns about the tender conditions from the outset. They also emphasized that “Monteput” accurately determined that these companies failed to establish a joint action agreement in line with the project specifications regarding the conceptual design for the bridges, justifying the proposal’s rejection. The Commission also confirmed that the evaluation of “Put Inženjeringa’s” offer was correct.

An administrative dispute can be initiated within 20 days in the Administrative Court regarding this Commission’s decision.

The Commission for the Protection of Rights in Public Procurement Procedures has dismissed the appeal from “Decom Group” and “Louis Berger” against the awarding of this contract to “Put Inženjering.”

According to the project, the aim of this documentation is to thoroughly analyze alternative solutions and define the optimal corridor for this expressway, with a construction timeline of six months from the contract signing date. The target vehicle speed is set at 100 kilometers per hour, with the possibility of slower speeds depending on the terrain.

The proposed expressway will traverse the Komarnica Canyon, necessitating consideration of alternative solutions for a more favorable crossing, both in terms of rational technical options and preserving the Nevidio Canyon. Special care will be taken to navigate the Tara Canyon and the Durmitor National Park. This highway aims to link Nikšić, Žabljak, and Pljevlja with the Bar-Boljare highway and the Adriatic-Ionian highway, according to the documentation.

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