The company Porr has again turned to the ÚOHS regarding its exclusion from the tender for Nová Palmovka

Prague - The construction company Porr has again turned to the antimonopoly office (ÚOHS) regarding the tender for the completion of the ruined building Nová Palmovka for the European Space Agency (EUSPA). The spokesperson for the company, Lucie Obdržálková, stated this in a press release today. The company is defending its exclusion from the tender, claiming that the city applied stricter requirements towards it than towards another participant and demanded documents beyond the scope of the competition assignment, which representatives of the city had previously rejected.

The tender for the completion of the unfinished building near Palmovka metro station was announced by the Prague city council in October 2023, but due to a series of objections and proceedings at the ÚOHS, it has not yet been able to select a construction contractor. The last step taken by the city leadership was on the end of February this year, when the offers from Porr and Gemo were excluded, leaving Geosan Group as the only participant in the competition. The city council has not yet chosen Geosan as the winner, so the tender continues.

Porr is protesting its exclusion, having submitted the most advantageous offer amounting to approximately 2.6 billion crowns, while the second bidder, Geosan, offered a price of about 2.9 billion. The city excluded Porr on the grounds that the company did not provide the additionally requested documents. However, according to Porr's CEO Dušan Čížek, this is not true.

"We are convinced that we have demonstrated our qualifications in full accordance with the tender documentation. However, during the process, the contracting authority is applying additional requirements towards Porr that were not part of the competition conditions," said the director.

The company has already filed objections against its exclusion to the city council, which it claims, according to the spokesperson, rejected. In response, on April 7, it filed a request for review at the antimonopoly office. It argues that stricter requirements are being imposed on one participant in the procurement process than on the other, without basis in the tender documentation or in the law. According to Čížek, the authority overlooked deficiencies in the competing offer. "Our goal is not to delay the project. We want it to be realized as soon as possible, but based on a transparent and legal process. It is about the principle of fair competition," added the director.

Deputy Mayor of Prague Petr Hlaváček (STAN) previously stated that the city council could have excluded Porr outright based on a decision by the chairman of the ÚOHS, Petr Mlsna, but in the interest of equal treatment and transparency, he called on the company to supplement the documents, which he stated were not provided. "It is not true that these were new demands; everything stems from the original documentation," he said.

According to earlier plans, the EUSPA is to move to the ruined building near Palmovka metro station, which Prague 8 unsuccessfully began to build over a decade ago as its town hall supplemented by a shopping center, from its currently insufficient premises in Holešovice. It was originally set to move this year, but the city has yet to even start the work. The previous government began looking for alternative premises due to delays.