A complaint to the CPC blocks the public procurement for the design of the National Children's Hospital.
The deadline for submitting bids was May 19, and the proceedings on the complaint in the Commission for the Protection of Competition were initiated on May 18. The complaint against the tender was filed by the company “Kabano Proekt” OOD, which designed the children's hospital in Burgas. In front of “Trud news” the manager of the company Grud Iliev explained that they had filed their objections back in April (see below for what is written in the complaint).
The public procurement for the design was announced at the end of March by the Health Investment Company for the Construction of the Children's Hospital (ZIKDB). Its estimated value is 6,048,981.52 euros including VAT. The initial deadline for submitting bids, May 4, was extended to May 19, and the bids were to be opened on May 20. The assignment provided for the successful bidder to prepare all phases of the design and carry out author's supervision within 300 days. It is planned to construct a building with a total developed built-up area of nearly 90,000 sq. m and a capacity of 456 beds on the already cleared terrain in the capital's "Gorna Banya" district.
The subject of the suspended public procurement for the design states that the National Children's Hospital includes 26 clinics and departments, 20 operating rooms, an outpatient diagnostic block with 38 consultation rooms, 26 procedure rooms and 7 rooms for invasive procedures, a day hospital, imaging and nuclear medicine departments, a laboratory complex, as well as an administrative and business block, a helipad, parking, technical and service premises, etc., in compliance with the current medical standards and regulatory requirements.
After the announcement of the procurement, signals appeared about problems with the assignment such as an unclear area, lack of information about its connectivity with the surrounding world, allegations that the set deadlines are unrealistic and that a cheap, not high-quality implementation.
In early April, the Ministry of Health's official team requested explanations from the investment company about the controversial points, but did not stop the order. At the end of April, the investment company assured that meetings had been held with the Chamber of Architects and the Chamber of Engineers in investment design, on the basis of which a change was made in the requirements for the contractor of the public procurement.
The current leadership of the Ministry of Health is still familiarizing itself with the available documentation on the case.
Meanwhile, the National Civil Initiative “For a Real Children's Hospital” expressed reservations about the procedure (details - left). The organization points to significant discrepancies between the parameters of the announced tender and the concept developed with international consultants from the European Investment Bank. According to the civil sector, stepping on outdated national medical standards and the lack of an open international competition compromise the commitment to creating a medical facility that meets modern European requirements.
Eng. Grud Iliev, manager of „Kabano project“ OOD, told „Trud news“:
The terms of the public procurement are discriminatory and this is the main emphasis of the complaint we filed with the CPC. The complaint was filed back in April, but the CPC has now stopped the procurement. Our complaint is 22 pages long and I could not tell you the whole thing.
There is a requirement for a huge developed built-up area, there is also a requirement for an additional specific ward... The facility will be extremely complex. And in Burgas, the children's hospital also turned out to be a rather complex facility, with many obstacles. This one will be even more complex. But the requirements are made so that we cannot participate. Everything seems too selective. We have written that according to the data we have, there are not many similar hospitals built in the last three years and accordingly we need to see which hospital with 35,000 sq m of gross floor area is this. It is strange why they chose exactly such an area.
Ours in Burgas is 28,000 sq m with many departments.
In our opinion, there were also flaws in the procedure regarding the initial data that was given. There is no data on a geological fault, for which the relevant study regarding the hospital was not done. It is not said what exactly the foundation will be, and each of these unclear things subsequently leads to many other and additional costs and problems during the design.
In my opinion, the goal of such competitions should be to achieve the maximum number of participants. Since the site is of national importance, the best should be done for it. Not to look for the lowest price, or to limit the participants to two. It is better to have 20 participants, 20 proposals and let the best one win.
The “For a Real Children's Hospital“ Initiative:
The civil initiative “For a Real Children's Hospital” came out with a categorical position that the current procedure does not meet the promises and expectations for a modern European medical facility.
The organization recalls that back in April it published a statement regarding the serious risks that this public procurement entails. Now they are demanding transparency from the Ministry of Health and the “Health Investment Company for a Children's Hospital” EAD regarding their future intentions, as there is currently a lack of public information.
“This procurement does not meet the commitment that all politicians, regardless of their political affiliation, have made in recent years, namely - the creation of a modern medical facility of the highest standards”, the organization claims.
One of the main goals of the initiative, set at its inception more than six years ago, is the awarding of an open, international design competition. The reasons for this request are related to the future of children's healthcare in the country:
The goal is not to mechanically gather the existing children's wards from different Sofia hospitals under one roof. A building is required that facilitates the implementation of the most modern medical practices, write the initiative “For a Real Children's Hospital”.
According to international consultants, the national regulatory framework is insufficient and significantly lags behind European standards.
“The suspension of the order poses a serious test for the implementation of the project. Society and experts expect clear answers from the institutions. Whether the complaint to the CPC will lead to a review of the conditions and the possible announcement of the much-desired international competition, or we will witness yet another delay, remains to be seen. One thing is certain - compromising on quality and standards when it comes to children's health is unacceptable," the statement of the initiative "For a Real Children's Hospital" reads.
The Experts
Problem #1 The assignment is for a building with an unclear area. Different documents contain different values for area and capacity, and the technical assignment deals with two areas with a difference of nearly 10 thousand sq. m. The lack of clarity can lead to delays, cost increases and compromises with quality.
Problem #2 It is assumed that the building does not comply with the requirements for a modern children's hospital, described in the analysis "Functional Program". The question of the planned helipad remains open - the requirement that it be on the roof means remodeling the entire building. Key information from the geological survey is missing - this means that some decisions will be made blindly, and the real conditions will only be clarified during construction - which is the most expensive moment.
Problem #3 The assignment is for a building “in the middle of nowhere”, without clarity on how it is connected to the surrounding world. The planned adjacent terrain of the Prosthetics Center is missing, through which access to the building from the Ring Road can only be provided. This calls into question the hospital's infrastructure connections. It remains unclear how the NDB is connected to the electricity and heating networks and how it is coordinated with the operating companies.
Problem #4 The assignment seeks cheap, not quality, execution. The leading criterion is “lowest price”, not proven quality - issues such as the functionality of the building.
Problem #5 Impossible time to design a quality building. The task provides for 6 to 10 months for design, while international experience shows that the minimum is 12, and the best is 18 months.
Problem #6 The task assumes a building information model (BIM), i.e. virtual construction, but there are no clear rules for its implementation and quality certification.
Problem #7 The circle of candidates is actually limited. The market research, on the basis of which the price was determined, was conducted with selected companies and only on the Bulgarian market. We remind you that one of the preliminary promises was for an open international competition.