ÚOHS must reconsider the contract for the repair of the Libeň Bridge in Prague

Brno - The Office for the Protection of Competition (ÚOHS) must reconsider the contract for the repair of the Libeň Bridge in Prague, which was awarded to the company Metrostav TBR in 2022. The head of the office, Petr Mlsna, upheld the appeal from the company Eurovia, as reported by the website Zdopravy.cz. Mlsna's decision from the end of April is available on the office's website.

Eurovia points out that the project has undergone many changes compared to the original assignment. According to the company, this effectively resulted in a new contract being awarded without initiating a procurement procedure. Initially, the ÚOHS found no reason to intervene; however, Mlsna instructed officials to examine the presented evidence and circumstances more carefully.

"Based on a proper assessment, the office will conclude whether there has been a change in obligation in this case, and if so, whether it was a substantial change," states the decision.

The Libeň Bridge, built in 1928, is a structure made up of six bridges. The city of Prague initially considered demolishing the bridge and replacing it with a new structure, but later decided to repair it; ultimately, a replica of the main bridge will be created on the original pillars.

In May of this year, the construction of part of the Libeň Bridge structure began, which the city's Technical Road Administration (TSK) had demolished last year due to its poor condition. This is the first part of the overall reconstruction of the bridge, which does not yet involve the main structure over the Vltava River. Work on the currently being built structure is expected to last until the first quarter of 2027 and will cost 425 million crowns. A smaller square with shops and services will be created under the bridge.

"The construction has started and is ongoing. The ÚOHS has not yet made a final decision and has repeatedly sided with the TSK in the first instance. We will see how it turns out,” said Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates), the deputy mayor of Prague for transport, to Zdopravy.cz.