ZAGREB, February 15, 2019 – Minister of the Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butković said on Friday that the state-owned Hrvatske Ceste (HC) road construction and management company was not surprised by the appeal against the tender for the construction of access roads to the future Pelješac Bridge.
Responding to questions from the press at the presentation of a project to modernise port infrastructure in the northern coastal town of Crikvenica, Butković said that the appeal was lawful and added that HC would respond to it within 30 days. He said that the State Commission should deal with the appeal as soon as possible because EU funding was involved.
Asked if the construction of the Pelješac Bridge was the start of “a great Croatian-Chinese friendship”, the minister said that companies from all over the world could apply for the international tender and that the tender process had been overseen by the EU.
“Anyone could apply and the offer that meets the criteria was selected, in this case a Chinese consortium. Our experience is good, initial reactions are good and I believe it will stay that way until the end,” Butković said.
“As far as I could see, the appeal should not halt the process and extend the time for the submission of bids,” Butković said and added: “It can’t happen that the bridge is finished and the access roads are not. We need to finish the project within the given time frame so that the EU funding is not wasted. We are not running late, and whether or not we will finish the bridge and the access roads on the same date, that’s pushing it a little bit too far.”
The State Commission for the Supervision of Public Procurement Procedures on Wednesday received an appeal from the Varaždin-based Colas company against the construction of two sections of the Ston Bypass (DC414).
More news on the Pelješac Bridge construction can be found in the Business section.
