ÚOHS prohibited the signing of the contract for the construction of the first section of metro D

Brno/Praha - The Office for the Protection of Competition (ÚOHS) prohibited the Prague Public Transit Co. (DPP) from concluding a contract with the winner of the public contract for the construction of the first section of metro line D from Pankrác to Olbrachtova by a preliminary measure. The ban is in effect until the office assesses whether the public contract was announced in accordance with the law. The preliminary measure was highlighted by the Seznam Zprávy server, and its issuance was confirmed to ČTK by the office's spokesperson, Milena Marešová. The head of DPP's communication department, Daniel Šabík, told ČTK that the company is aware of the situation and respects the decision.

"The office issued the preliminary measure yesterday (Thursday), and it was delivered to the participants of the proceedings today. We initiated administrative proceedings at the suggestion of Eurovia, which filed a request for a review of the contracting authority's procedure. The preliminary measure prohibits concluding a contract with the selected supplier until the administrative proceedings are concluded. Otherwise, it would not be possible to impose corrective measures if the office discovers any violations," said Marešová.

Šabík stated that the company was aware of the objection and is currently waiting to sign the contract. "According to the Public Procurement Act, we were not allowed to conclude a contract with the supplier within 60 days from the initiation of the administrative proceedings at ÚOHS," he stated. He added that now the office has extended this period with the preliminary measure until a decision is made in the matter, which is a common tool for reviews of similarly complex contracts. "We fully respect the ÚOHS decision regarding the preliminary measure," he concluded.

The contract for the construction of the first section of metro line D from Pankrác to Olbrachtova was announced by the Prague Public Transit Company, and its value exceeds ten billion crowns. Interested parties could submit offers until the end of April; the transit company extended the deadline due to the declaration of a state of emergency. According to initial estimates, construction was supposed to start in the last quarter of this year and would last a total of 7.5 years.

The new metro line aims to connect Písnice and Náměstí Míru. In the first phase, a route will be created between the stations Pankrác, Nové Dvory, and Depo Písnice, where driverless trains will operate. Costs are estimated at 57 billion crowns.