site.btaRegional Development Minister: Public Procurement for Winter Road Maintenance is Expected to Be Announced on Monday

After his meeting with the leadership of the National Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria, caretaker Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Ivan Shishkov, said to journalists that the public procurement for winter road maintenance will be announced most likely on Monday.  He specified that these public contracts will only be for winter road maintenance and will be in a separate order under the Public Procurement Act.

Shishkov reported that he was informed by the Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA) that public procurements were prepared for road maintenance for the next three years, but from spring instead of winter. He Argued that this means that the RIA management was not interested in winter cleaning. They most likely believed that the state would be forced to extend the existing contracts, he added.

It is expected that within ten days there will be a decision on the methodology for price indexation in construction, which must be approved by the Council of Ministers, added the Minister. He pointed out that, if there are corrections in the methodology, they should be in line with the latest changes in the Public Procurement Act that have already entered into force.

The municipalities have proposed that the financing of the projects, which will be supported with BGN 418 million from the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works budget for this year, for water supply, roads and streets, should be based on the size of the municipalities - number of inhabitants, and have committed to contribute specifically proposal by Tuesday. Shishkov said that a balance will be sought between large and small municipalities and added that the main eligibility criterion for financing the projects will be whether there is a valid construction permit.