EUR 1 bln public tender for train procurement in Romania deferred amid objections

The deadline for submitting bids in the EUR 1 billion tender for the purchase of 80 trains in Romania was extended from June 3 to July 1 after the National Council for Settlement of Complaints (CNSC) partially admitted complaints filed by Czech group Skoda and Spanish company Patentes Talgo, Economica.net reported. The tender documentation will be modified, unless the CNSC decision is challenged at the Bucharest Court of Appeal.

In their appeal, Patentes Talgo objected to the pre-requisites imposed to bidders, such as having delivered 40 similar trains within the past three years.

The Romanian Railway Reform Authority (ARF) on April 3 launched a public tender for the purchase of 40 to 80 passenger trains and their maintenance over a period of 15 to 30 years. The estimated maximum value of the contract is RON 4.56 billion (EUR 957 million, not including VAT), or about EUR 12 million per piece, including maintenance services over a period of 30 years. The first train should be delivered no later than 24 months.

The bidders must prove that they delivered at least 40 such trains over the past three years and that they provided maintenance services of more than EUR 24 million over the same three-year period. The trains must be able to reach a maximum speed of 160 km/h. Each train should have a capacity of at least 200 seats.

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