Several Contestations At Tenders For Pan-European Corridor IV Highway Segments

04.28.2011 By Bostan Radu

Seven consortia and companies have challenged the Romanian government tenders for the construction of the Timisoara-Lugoj and Orastie-Sibiu highways, part of Pan-European Corridor IV.

Seven consortia and companies have challenged the Romanian government tenders for the construction of the Timisoara-Lugoj and Orastie-Sibiu highways, part of Pan-European Corridor IV.

The contracts for the Timisoara-Lugoj highway was awarded to Romanian-Italian association Spedition UMB-Tehnostrade-Carena SpA Impresa di Costruzioni, with its bid of 210.36 million lei (EUR51.6 million) for the first segment (10 km), and to Italian consortium Tirrena Scavi-Societa Italiana per Condotte d'Acqua-Cossi Costruzioni, which bid RON445.64 million for the second segment (over 25 km).

Both results have been challenged by the consortia Confort SA Timisoara/Monteadriano Engenharia E Construcao, Tehnologica Radion/Gabriel Couto/Amandio Carvalho/Lena /Rosas/Arcadis and Construcciones Y Promociones Balzola/Rover Alcisa/Puentes, according to data provided by public road authority CNADNR.

The tender for the second segment has been contested by Romanian-French consortium Constructii Feroviare Iasi/Colas/Egis Romania.

The Orastie-Sibiu highway project (82 km long) has been divided into four segments, the contract for the first of which (24 km) was awarded to Austrian company Strabag, which bid RON511.04 million. The second segment (20 km) went to Romanian Straco Grup and Italian Studio Corona SRL Civil Engineering, for RON377.78 million.

The tender has been challenged by the consortia Tehnologica Radion/Gabriel Couto/Amandio Carvalho/Lena /Rosas/Arcadis - first segment, Max Boegl Romania/Geiger/Tancrad/Primacons - second segment, and Romanian firm J&P-Avax - fourth segment.

The contract for the Lugoj-Deva highway (27.4 km) was awarded to Tirrena Scavi-Societa Italiana per Condotte d'Acqua- Cossi Construzioni, for RON681.04 million. The tender for the first segment was challenged by Greek association Aktor/Shapir, but it withdrew its contestation later.

CNADNR has received 64 offers for the Nadlac-Arad, Timisoara-Lugoj, Lugoj-Deva and Orastie-Sibiu highways, contracts worth a total RON3.45 billion. The tenders for four segments received no contestations: Nadlac-Arad (two segments), Orastie Sibiu (segment 3) and Lugoj-Deva (challenge withdrawn).

The roads are part of Pan-European Corridor IV, which goes from Nuremberg, Germany through Prague, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest, enters Romania and passes through Nadlac, Arad, Deva, Orastie, Sibiu, Bucharest, Fetesti and Constanta, then goes on to Istanbul.

Recently, CNADNR terminated the EUR224 million contract with Colas for the construction of the Cernavoda-Medgidia highway, citing the French company's failure to expropriate land and delays in designing an alternative route and obtaining construction authorization.

Romanian firm Max Boegl is part of Max Bogl, one of Germany's major construction groups. It is running several projects in Romania, the best known being Bucharest's new National Stadium, in association with Astaldi, Italy. (EUR1=RON4.076)