Five bidders for Ploiesti-Brasov PPP highway project

Five investors submitted offers for entering the public-private partnership (PPP) agreement for building the Ploiesti-Brasov motorway by December 17, Adevarul daily informed. The offers were opened in the presence of private investors who submitted them and will be evaluated by a commission before beginning the competitive negotiations with selected bidders. Pro Infrastructura NGO quoted by Digi24.ro claims that the project is nothing more than “a bad joke paid from public funds”. The state body that handles it, namely the state forecasting body CNP (Comisia Nationala de Prognoza) has no capacity in this regard. No preliminary study of the route has been carried and the negotiations will lack transparency with the contractor holding no responsibility on the outcome, Pro Infrastructura claims. This is the first of the 21 projects envisaged by the government to be developed under PPP arrangements. The authorities welcomed the large number of offers received and explained that this reflects the investors’ confidence in the regulatory framework. According to the frame provisions of the PPP arrangements and the specific project, the motorway will be developed by a project company that will have as a shareholder the public partner, CNAIR, and a private partner, to be appointed following the public procurement procedure through competitive negotiation. The Ploiesti-Brasov motorway project stretches over a 24-year period including the design, execution and the operation period. The project also includes the operation of the Bucharest - Ploiesti motorway section. The cost of the motorway is estimated at EUR 1.36 billion. The contract provides for annual payments from the public funds to the investor over the entire period of the project, in addition to the toll estimated at EUR 6.7 plus VAT to be paid by users for each 100 km. Govt. says Ploiesti-Brasov highway should be completed in 2023 editor@romania-insider.com