Hargas: Building of D1 Turany-Hubova Section Delayed Due to Raz's Incompetence

Bratislava, 29 May (TASR) - The completion of the planned section of the D1 motorway between Turany and Hubova (Zilina region) was initially delayed by two years and is now being pushed back by several more months due to the incompetence of Transport Minister Jozef Raz (a Smer-SD nominee), opposition MP Jan Hargas (Progressive Slovakia/PS) stated on Friday, criticising the minister for prolonging the procurement process to find the D1-section contractor due to misconduct and discriminatory conditions. According to the MP, Raz should cover from of his own pocket a bill for €18,000 for an expert opinion that the Public Procurement Office (UVO) ordered the National Highway Company (NDS) to pay as costs related to objection proceedings in the second tender for the D1 Turany–Hubova section. "So, I'd like to issue him with an invoice for his stubbornness to the tune of €18,000 for the expert opinion, which the Transport Ministry, or rather the National Highway Company, will have to pay because it failed to defend the terms of this tender," said Hargas, addressing Raz. Although the tender for the D1 Turany-Hubova section is being handled by NDS, the transport minister bears political responsibility, said the MP. "It's Minister Raz's responsibility to ensure that the section is built as quickly as possible, but he's failed to do this in two years. We've lost two years, and we're also losing money," Hargas added for TASR. According to UVO's decision, NDS must amend the participation requirement regarding technical or professional competence in the tender so that experience is demonstrated via separate references, i.e., experience gained in implementing various projects. According to information from Hargas, the reference requirement for participation in the tender for the D1 Turany-Hubova section can be met by only one completed project - the D1 Hricovske Podhradie-Lietavska Lucka section. The MP noted that this project was built by companies that also bid in the first tender to become the D1 Turany-Hubova contractor. NDS will ultimately scrap that tender, as the administrative court didn't grant its request for a suspension in the case of the aforementioned tender. The highway authority asked the court to review the legality of the Public Procurement Office's decision to cancel the first tender. am/df