Belgrade tram procurement tender suspended

The public procurement process for 85 new trams for Belgrade's City Public Transport Company (GSP) has been temporarily suspended. The tender, valued at approximately 40.12 billion dinars (over 340 million euros) excluding VAT, was paused following a request for the protection of rights submitted to the Republic Commission for the Protection of Rights in Public Procurement Procedures.

The Turkish company Bozankaya, a previous supplier of trams for Belgrade, raised objections regarding specific technical criteria. The company argued that the requirement for a bidder to have delivered at least 85 trams with pivoting bogies at a minimum angle of seven degrees specifically for 1,000 mm gauge tracks within the last 36 months unfairly limits competition. Bozankaya stated that such technical specifications should be proportional to the procurement and that track width and bogie angles vary by city.

GSP Beograd rejected these objections, maintaining that Belgrade's tracks are unique and require proven technical specifications. The 'Centar' union of GSP Belgrade noted that the suspension is a standard legal procedure and that the tender is not canceled, but merely paused pending a decision from the Republic Commission.