started · updated
North Macedonia electric bus tender under investigation
The Center for Civil Communications (CCC) has released an investigation into a €60 million tender for 150 electric buses in North Macedonia. The report highlights concerns regarding the procurement process, which was conducted three times over 15 months. According to the CCC, the repeated tenders allowed participants to become familiar with competitors' prices and offers, increasing the risk of coordination.
Notably, Hungarian manufacturer Ikarus Electric Zrt and Chinese firm Zongtong Bus Holding, who were competitors in the second tender, submitted a joint bid in the third round that was selected as the most favorable. The winning bid was not the lowest, as two cheaper offers were previously rejected. The contract includes €57 million for the buses and €3 million for charging stations, with EVN Macedonia acting as a subcontractor for the charging infrastructure provided by Sungrow Deutschland.
Critics point out that the new buses will have a capacity of 66 passengers, which is 20 seats fewer than the last buses purchased by the City of Skopje and 30 fewer than those donated by the EU. While the Ministry of Transport defended the process as “completely transparent” and compliant with public procurement laws, stating the purchase aims to reduce air pollution, the CCC noted that the Ministry has not provided requested documents or analyses regarding changes made to the tender documentation.
Entities
Center for Civil Communications · EVN Macedonia · Ikarus Electric Zrt · Ministry of Transport · Zongtong Bus Holding
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 2 SOURCES] The Center for Civil Communications released a study regarding public procurement oversight. racin.mk · meta.mk
- [● 2 SOURCES] Hungarian manufacturer Ikarus and Chinese manufacturer Zongtong transitioned from competitors to partners in the third tender attempt. racin.mk · meta.mk
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The best unit price per bus was 321,958 euros excluding VAT. vesti.alfa.mk
- [● 2 SOURCES] The procurement of 150 electric buses is valued at 60 million euros. racin.mk · meta.mk
- [● 2 SOURCES] The new buses have 20 fewer seats than the last buses purchased for city transport. racin.mk · meta.mk
- [● 2 SOURCES] The procurement process lasted 15 months and involved three separate attempts. racin.mk · meta.mk
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The procurement process was public, transparent, and conducted via electronic auction. vesti.alfa.mk
- [● 2 SOURCES] The new buses will have a total capacity of 66 passengers. racin.mk · meta.mk