Sofia Municipality will fully implement the decisions of the Supreme Administrative Court on the procedures for awarding public contracts for garbage collection and waste removal, the municipality's press center reported, quoted by BNT.
"There is no drama. There are court decisions and next steps in the procedure. We will follow them through and, if necessary, we will start new procedures. As many times as necessary, said Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev. We are upgrading the municipal capacity so that no one can pressure Sofia anymore. A year ago, only one district was cleaned by the municipality. Today, six districts rely entirely or partially on our capacity. We are also building our own system for collecting packaging waste - over 50% of the garbage in Sofia. There we will also break the oligopolistic model that has stifled the development of the sector for years. Yes, the quality is not everywhere what we want, but it is improving with each passing day and I thank the people of Sofia for their patience and active participation in supporting our position", added Terziev.
With regard to Zone 1 and Zone 6, the court returns the procedures to the "ranking" stage. For Zone 4, the procedure has been returned to the stage of assessing the eligibility of the participants, i.e. examining the submitted Single European Procurement Documents (SEPD).
It will issue an order for the appointment of a new commission to continue work on the relevant procedures from the stages specified by the court. The mandate of the previous commission has ended with the preparation of its report and the subsequent decision of the contracting authority (the Deputy Mayor of Sofia Municipality).
Until the completion of the work, Sofia Municipality will not comment on any possible future decisions, as this would constitute an inadmissible interference in the activities of the commission.
The waste collection and disposal service in all 8 districts affected by the decisions is ensured and there is no interruption.
"This gives us time to complete the work without rushing. Sofia Municipality is the contracting authority and our responsibility is to the people of Sofia," said the mayor.
With regard to Zone 3, the Supreme Administrative Court confirms the decision of Sofia Municipality to terminate the procedure. The service there continues to be provided with municipal capacity. An analysis is pending as to whether this model will be sustainable in the long term or whether a new procedure will be launched.
A ruling is also expected on Zone 7. In the event of a similar decision, the actions of the Sofia Municipality will be identical - implementation of the court order and continuation of the procedure in accordance with the law.