Praha 10 announced a tender for a new town hall, the opposition councilor criticizes it

Prague - Prague 10 has announced a tender for the construction or purchase of a new town hall building, for which it wants to use 1.12 billion crowns from the sale of the former headquarters on Vršovická Street. This follows from the public procurement bulletin, and it was communicated to ČTK by opposition councilor Petr Beneš (independent, formerly of the Pirates), who criticizes the method of acquiring the new headquarters. He has filed a complaint with the Antimonopoly Office (ÚOHS) and a complaint with the European Commission against the tender. According to city officials, everything is in accordance with laws and European directives.

The municipal district does not specify how it intends to acquire the new headquarters. "The fulfillment may consist primarily of the construction of a new building, the reconstruction of an existing building, or the transfer of ownership rights to an already existing building, or a combination of these," states the description of the contract.

According to the tender's requirements, the new town hall must offer at least 6,250 square meters of office space and 3,500 square meters of storage, not including hallways, hygiene facilities, or kitchens. To ensure the office's accessibility for residents, it must be no more than 300 meters from a tram stop or public transport. The municipal district must be transferred no later than October 31, 2029. Currently, Prague 10 is renting an office building after having to relocate due to the poor condition of the premises on Vršovická Street and the collapse of plans for its reconstruction.

A part of the council's opposition in the municipal district criticizes the procedure for acquiring the new headquarters. According to Beneš, the town hall is disguising the construction of a new building as the purchase of an already completed property, and he warns of the potential creation of a dangerous precedent that could legalize circumvention of European directives in the Czech Republic.

"This is a typical illegal principle that European courts punish severely. If it were possible, there would be no need to tender in the Czech Republic at all. The mayors would simply agree to buy a completed school or kindergarten once someone 'happened' to build it," stated Beneš. He also pointed out that it is a mistake for the municipal district to have set only the purchase price as a criterion, rather than also considering the age and condition of the building or its energy efficiency and operating costs.

According to representatives of Prague 10, the process complies with all rules even beyond statutory obligations. "It does not utilize possible exceptions related to the purchase of an existing property, whereby the procurer does not have to proceed with public procurement procedures," said Prague 10 spokesperson Ján Bruno Tropp. He added that the chosen form of competition also allows negotiation on the submitted offers and further clarifications of requirements for the building.

"Mr. Beneš's press release is clearly part of his campaign for the municipal elections. It contains false statements. The municipal district is tendering for its headquarters fully in accordance with the public procurement law, in a proper and transparent process," added the deputy mayor of the municipal district, Tomáš Pek (TOP 09).

Beneš also criticized the fact that the council decided on the assignment of the largest contract in April without informing the media or the public, and the published version additionally differs from the approved one. "The name of the mayor (Martin) Valovič (ODS) has disappeared from the document and has been replaced by a mere official," said Beneš. According to Tropp, the designation of a representative for the administration of the tender is a common procedure and the documentation was standardly approved and published by the town hall.

Prague 10 previously spent tens of millions of crowns on a project for the reconstruction of the former town hall from the 1970s, which, however, was abandoned due to delays, rising prices, and financing issues. The current leadership of the municipal district in a coalition with ODS, TOP 09, the Vlasta grouping, STAN, and KDU-ČSL decided to sell the building along with the neighboring, also empty former cultural house. The properties are to be bought by Key City Development, which plans to build a residential project in their place. The sale had to be approved by the city council, where the Pirates opposed it, and ANO initially criticized it as well, but eventually voted in favor.