PS Criticises No-bid Contracts for Presov Hospital

Bratislava, 18 May (TASR) - The opposition party Progressive Slovakia (PS) criticises the commissioning of additional works on the Presov hospital project without a public tender and insists that Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) should follow standard procedures through a proper public procurement process, House Health Committee vice-chair Oskar Dvorak (PS) stated on Monday. Dvorak spoke in response to the signing of new contracts for the hospital's structural works without a tender. "We are not using €200 million from the Recovery Plan earmarked for construction anyway, so there's no reason to bypass proper public procurement," Dvorak underlined. The committee vice-chair warned that the non-transparent procedure could further delay the project, increase costs and deepen public distrust. In his view, a proper public tender is the only way to ensure quality construction at a reasonable price. A new tender will be announced for the completion of the Presov hospital. The Central Military Hospital SNP Ruzomberok withdrew from its contract with the previous contractor on Friday, 15 May. The Defence Minister announced this at a press conference on Monday. At the same time, the ministry signed a construction contract for the Presov hospital with the company In Vest and four subcontractors. This is intended to allow construction to continue, with a new tender expected to be announced this week. Last year, the Defence Ministry signed a contract worth €447.8 million excluding VAT with a consortium of suppliers for the development and modernisation of the Presov teaching hospital and polyclinic. At the end of April, the Defence Minister announced that the ministry has suspended construction due to a quality inspection of the building's load-bearing structures. He also conceded that the hospital's completion deadline could be postponed. The group of companies building the new hospital declared its willingness to cooperate in the professional investigation of the situation and its interest in ensuring the project's completion. In addition, the company West Hungaria Epitoipari Szolgaltato announced the exclusion of the company Bekor from the consortium. mf