The Traffic Administration will have to reissue the €20.4 million tender for the construction of the western bypass around Podgorica. The section is three kilometers long, and the construction will span from the Komanski Bridge to the roundabout near the Grand Furniture showroom in Donja Gorica.
The tender, which was announced in late September and closed on October 24, received two offers, from the companies Bemax and Briv Construction. However, in late November, the Traffic Administration determined that both offers were invalid and requested the cancellation of the tender. Bemax filed an appeal, and in mid-December, it was decided that the tender would be reissued.
Briv Construction, based in Kotor, offered €14.84 million for the project, while Bemax from Podgorica proposed €16.85 million.
The Traffic Administration concluded that Briv Construction’s offer was invalid because it marked documents related to technical expertise as confidential, thus preventing access to the necessary information. The Administration emphasized that this was not permitted by the tender rules. Similarly, Bemax’s offer was deemed invalid due to an incorrectly labeled guarantee, marked “Internal” at the bottom.
As a result, the Traffic Administration decided to cancel the tender according to Article 140, paragraph 1, point 4 of the Public Procurement Law, which mandates the cancellation if no valid offers are submitted or if the bidders are excluded.
Bemax appealed this decision at the beginning of December, contesting their exclusion over the guarantee issue, and requested the cancellation of the decision.
In mid-December, the Commission for Protection of Rights in Public Procurement Procedures ruled that Bemax’s document was not marked confidential, and they questioned how the Traffic Administration deemed their guarantee invalid and excluded them from the tender.
The Commission’s ruling stated that the Traffic Administration had provided an incomplete and incorrect factual basis for assessing the validity of the offer, and it ordered the cancellation of the decision and the reissuance of the tender.
The Western Bypass is planned to connect the roundabout at Komanski Bridge to the roundabout near the Grand Furniture showroom in Donja Gorica. The boulevard will feature sidewalks on both sides, four lanes, three intersections, and one roundabout.
Radomir Vuksanović, Director of the Traffic Administration, stated in late September that the project’s completion deadline is 18 months from the start of construction. This was announced during a meeting with Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, Monteput Director Milan Ljiljanić, and Podgorica Mayor Olivera Injac.
The construction of the bypass will be co-financed, with the Traffic Administration funding the boulevard’s construction, while the City of Podgorica will handle land expropriation and the development of municipal infrastructure.
Mayor Injac emphasized that significant work had already been done in terms of preparing the project and technical documentation, land expropriation, and municipal infrastructure, and that the project is expected to proceed as planned to the benefit of Podgorica’s residents. She noted that this is a priority infrastructure project that will significantly improve traffic flow around the city.
Similarly, the reconstruction of Vojislavljevića Street, which stretches through the Zabjelo neighborhood from the roundabout at Petrovački Put to Cetinjski Put, will also be financed in the same way. The project, valued at €14.49 million, was recently awarded to the company Crnagoraput, with work set to begin in early next year and a completion deadline of 18 months.
