State Commission annuls Ika Port expansion tender decision

The State Commission for the Control of Public Procurement Procedures has annulled the decision made by the County Port Authority Opatija-Lovran-Mošćenička Draga regarding the selection of contractors for the expansion of Ika Port. The original decision had selected a joint bid from BSK Commerce and Vodogradnja Rijeka as the most economically advantageous.

The annulment follows an appeal by the consortium Adriaing Koper Inženjering and Adriaing Umag, which challenged the legality of the bid review and evaluation process. The Commission found the grounds for the appeal to be valid, noting that the authority failed to sufficiently explain its conclusions regarding a bidder's proof of equipment availability and why subsequent evidence from another source would constitute a change in the bid.

As a result, the matter has been returned to the contracting authority for reconsideration. The Commission also ordered the authority to reimburse the appellants 29,580 euros in legal costs, while rejecting a claim for the remaining 8,449 euros. Alessandra Selak, Director of the Port Authority, stated that an expert committee will meet soon to proceed according to the Commission's ruling and expects the project to remain on schedule.