Tender for the procurement of 85 short tram for the needs of the Belgrade City Transport Company caused controversy in the professional and trade union public, after claims appeared that the conditions of public procurement were adapted to one manufacturer - the Turkish company Bozankaya.
They warned about that. Center for Local Self-Government (CLS) and the union "Centar" in GSP, stating that the technical specifications in the tender documentation deviate from the usual practice and significantly narrow the circle of potential bidders. According to their evaluations, the criteria are set so that they practically match the characteristics of the trams produced by Bozankaya.
CLS warns that such an approach calls into question the very purpose of public procurement - to obtain the best price-quality ratio through competition. If the tender is designed to suit only one manufacturer, the city, as they say, loses the opportunity to compare several offers and choose the most favorable one.
The trade union "Centar" makes a similar assessment, which points out that GSP employees have a direct interest in the vehicles being purchased being technically reliable and adapted to Belgrade's streets and infrastructural conditions. In the press release of that union, it is stated that experiences from previous procurements show how the wrong choice of tram type can affect the safety and functioning of public transport.
Where does Bozankaya operate?
Bozankaya is already present in the market of Southeast Europe and its trams and trolleybuses operate in several cities, including Timisoara in Romania. However, discussions were previously held in Belgrade about whether some imported models are fully adapted to the city network, especially when it comes to street widths, curves and track loads.
CLS and the "Centar" trade union say that they do not question the right of Bozankaya to participate in the tender, but insist that the conditions be formulated in such a way as to enable equal competition between several producers. As they state, this is the only way Belgrade can be sure to get vehicles that are optimal in terms of price, quality and long-term profitability.
The city authorities have not yet commented on these allegations in more detail, while the public procurement procedure is still ongoing. Depending on whether the terms of the tender will be changed or remain unchanged, the coming months could show whether Belgrade will receive a competitive offer or a job that, as critics claim, has already been designed in advance for one supplier.
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