The Sofia Municipality ensured cleanliness in 9 districts of the capital by extending the contracts with the current contractors in Zone 1 (the districts of „Sredets“, „Lozenets“ and „Studentski“), Zone 5 (the districts of „Vrabnitsa“, „Novi Iskar“ and „Bankya“) and Zone 7 (the districts of „Vazrazhdane“, „Oborishte“ and „Triaditsa“). The decision includes an increase of less than 20% in prices for the most important services and guarantees the normal functioning of activities without disruptions for citizens and without compromising the public interest.
“In difficult situations, we do not look for convenient solutions, but for working solutions. Our approach is pragmatic – we look at resources, we look at risk, we look at results. When a contract expires, we do not leave the city without a service, but we also do not accept conditions that harm Sofia residents. We work constantly – with dialogue, with pressure where necessary, and with a clear goal: stable, quality service at a reasonable price. This is our commitment and we will uphold it to the end.“ This was commented by the Mayor of Sofia Vasil Terziev.
The annexes have been agreed under clear, defensible and reasonable conditions, which provide time and stability until the conclusion of new, permanent contracts with higher quality and control requirements.
Agreed unit prices
Zone 5 (the districts of “Vrbnitsa“, “Novi Iskar“ and “Bankya“) - the unit price for waste collection remains unchanged: 175 BGN per ton; The contract has been extended until the signing of a new 5-year contract as the next step of the current public procurement.
Zones 1 (the districts of „Sredets“, „Lozenets“ and „Studentski“) and 7 (the districts of „Vazrazhdane“, „Oborishte“ and „Triaditsa“) - the unit price for household waste is updated from 173 BGN to 209 BGN per ton, which represents an increase of 19% for the full value of the services, after optimization.
For Zones 1 and 7, Sofia Municipality terminated the procedure launched in June due to a lack of real competition, and the subsequent complaints of the participants were rejected by the Commission for the Protection of Competition, which confirmed the decisions of the Municipality.
Stolichna Municipality emphasizes that the decisions are fully in line with the commitment that Mayor Vasil Terziev made - to provide the service within the budget of the Sofia Municipality and without raising the garbage fee for citizens.
The signed annexes ensure the continuity of the service at a reasonable price, without allowing pressure, urgent compromises or acceptance of economically unjustified conditions.
In parallel with the temporary decisions, Sofia Municipality:
develops and expands the municipal capacity in order to balance the dependence and ensure competition for external contractors;
staggers the terms of the contracts so that a crisis caused by their simultaneous expiration is not allowed in the future;
prepares new permanent contracts with higher requirements for quality, accountability and control.
The municipality will continue to inform in a timely manner about the next steps, with predictability, transparency and protection remaining the leading ones of the public interest.