Tender given to highest, not lowest bidder

In the past Latvian road administrators have struggled with organizing a fair tender, likely part of the reason the country's roads are in much worse shape than its neighbors. Photo used courtesy of Multiprese.

RIGA — The Latvian State Roads administration has come under fire for awarding a tender to a company that quoted a price 6 million lats (€8.6 million) higher than the cheapest competitor.

The Tīnūži-Koknese road reconstruction this year is one of the Latvian State Roads administration’s most ambitious projects. Some 35 kilometers of road will be reconstructed.

The entire contract, which was given to SIA Binders, amounts to 40 million lats in total.

When asked by [private_supervisor]local media whether he pleased with the outcome of the tender, the Latvian State Roads administration managing director Gints Alberiņš only said: “Pleased, not pleased. We’ve made it their job, yes, why not? I’ll be delighted at the moment, we shall build the road.”

The lowest bid came from a German company, whose bid before taxes was 27 million lats.

In the past Latvian road administrators have struggled with organizing a fair tender, likely part of the reason the country’s roads are in much worse shape than its neighbors. The issue follows on from the Southern Bridge fiasco, dubbed “the most expensive bridge in Europe” because of its uncontrolled corruption and inefficiency.

The Latvian State Roads administration rebuffed speculation that the tender had been rigged, saying that the top bidder offered a better package. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]local media whether he pleased with the outcome of the tender, the Latvian State Roads administration managing director Gints Alberiņš only said: “Pleased, not pleased. We’ve made it their job, yes, why not? I’ll be delighted at the moment, we shall build the road.”

The lowest bid came from a German company, whose bid before taxes was 27 million lats.

In the past Latvian road administrators have struggled with organizing a fair tender, likely part of the reason the country’s roads are in much worse shape than its neighbors. The issue follows on from the Southern Bridge fiasco, dubbed “the most expensive bridge in Europe” because of its uncontrolled corruption and inefficiency.

The Latvian State Roads administration rebuffed speculation that the tender had been rigged, saying that the top bidder offered a better package. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]local media whether he pleased with the outcome of the tender, the Latvian State Roads administration managing director Gints Alberiņš only said: “Pleased, not pleased. We’ve made it their job, yes, why not? I’ll be delighted at the moment, we shall build the road.”

The lowest bid came from a German company, whose bid before taxes was 27 million lats.

In the past Latvian road administrators have struggled with organizing a fair tender, likely part of the reason the country’s roads are in much worse shape than its neighbors. The issue follows on from the Southern Bridge fiasco, dubbed “the most expensive bridge in Europe” because of its uncontrolled corruption and inefficiency.

The Latvian State Roads administration rebuffed speculation that the tender had been rigged, saying that the top bidder offered a better package. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]local media whether he pleased with the outcome of the tender, the Latvian State Roads administration managing director Gints Alberiņš only said: “Pleased, not pleased. We’ve made it their job, yes, why not? I’ll be delighted at the moment, we shall build the road.”

The lowest bid came from a German company, whose bid before taxes was 27 million lats.

In the past Latvian road administrators have struggled with organizing a fair tender, likely part of the reason the country’s roads are in much worse shape than its neighbors. The issue follows on from the Southern Bridge fiasco, dubbed “the most expensive bridge in Europe” because of its uncontrolled corruption and inefficiency.

The Latvian State Roads administration rebuffed speculation that the tender had been rigged, saying that the top bidder offered a better package. [/private_subscription 1 year]

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