Airport Ostrava received a fine of 90,000 crowns for errors in the contract

Brno/Mošnov (Novojičínsko) - The Ostrava Airport in Mošnov, in the Novojičínsko region, has received a fine of 90,000 crowns from the antimonopoly office for errors in the contract for the security center estimated at 76 million crowns. The airport was seeking a firm to create project documentation, perform engineering activities, and provide author supervision during the construction of the center. The firm did not appeal, so the first-instance ruling of the office became legally binding by the end of August, ČTK learned. It has until approximately the end of October to pay the fine.
    "The selection procedure was carried out for us by an external company based on a mandate agreement. Therefore, we will handle the fine according to the agreed conditions," said Michaela Kubešová, spokesperson for Ostrava Airport, to ČTK. According to her, it is possible that the airport will demand reimbursement of the fine from the external company, which she refused to name.
    In the tender, the airport selected a consortium of three firms: Inkos-Ostrava, VPÚ Deco Praha, and Kania. However, the antimonopoly office indicated that the consortium did not meet the qualification requirements to the required extent and should have been excluded from the selection procedure.
    "The consortium submitted an insurance policy that did not cover liability for damages caused by the consortium members to third parties, as required by the contracting authority," said Filip Vrána from the press department of the ÚOHS in response to ČTK's inquiry. The consortium submitted the insurance policy of its subcontractor, SUDOP Praha, but according to the ÚOHS, that was insufficient.
    Ostrava Airport plans to start the construction of the security center in the middle of next year, with commissioning scheduled for 2012. The center will ensure technical and security service for the airport. It will house police officers, firefighters, rescuers, customs officers, and the hydrometeorological office, as well as part of the Faculty of Safety Engineering at the VŠB-Technical University of Ostrava in three buildings.
    The costs for the construction of the security center will exceed one billion crowns. Ostrava Airport, owned by the Moravian-Silesian region, aims to obtain a grant from the European Union for it.