Due to a dubious public procurement: Contrera gives the deputy mayor for transport of Sofia to the prosecutor

The municipal councilor in the Sofia Municipal Council and deputy chairman of VMRO – BND Carlos Contrera said that he would refer the mayor of Sofia, the Inspectorate of the Sofia Municipality and the prosecutor's office over the public procurement for the supply of 42 used 20-meter diesel buses.
According to Contrera, the development of the procedure confirms his fears that the conditions were drawn up in such a way as to lead to the participation of a previously known candidate.
As I predicted when the procedure was announced, there is only one candidate. This was completely predictable, because the technical requirements practically point to a specific model of buses and a specific supplier. When there is only one participant in a competition, the completely legitimate question arises whether there was any real competition at all, Contrera states.
According to him, even before the Sofia Municipal Council made a final decision on the subject, the Deputy Mayor for Transport publicly stated that “Mercedes” buses were provided from Vienna.
When the contracting authority announces in advance what buses will be delivered, and subsequently the public procurement leads to precisely this result, this raises serious questions about the method of preparing the procedure and the need for institutional verification, Contrera points out.
The only submitted offer is worth 5,033,700 euros excluding VAT, or 119,850 euros excluding VAT per bus, which is approximately 500,000 euros below the maximum allowable value set by the Sofia Municipality.
According to Contrera, similar used buses on the European market can be purchased at significantly lower prices, and after delivery, the municipality will also have to bear serious future costs for their maintenance.
Carlos Contrera draws attention to the fact that it is the technical specification that raises the most serious doubts. According to him, the combination of the requirements for four-axle buses with a length of between 18 and 20 meters, a minimum of 45 seats and an engine with a certain power practically limits the possible offers to a specific diesel modification of the “Mercedes“ buses used in Vienna.
According to him, these conditions exclude a large part of the standard 18-meter articulated buses, as well as most gas and electric vehicles, although similar alternatives are offered on the European market at significantly lower prices.
Contrera also raises a number of questions to which, according to him, there is no public answer so far:
Why exactly 42 buses are being purchased? Why was a four-axle type of vehicle chosen, given that Sofia has no operational experience with them? Why is the supply of used diesel buses chosen instead of more economical alternatives? Why will the deliveries be rescheduled for a period of about a year and a half?
Carlos Contrera announces that he will request an official inspection of whether the internal rules of the Sofia Municipality were complied with when preparing the public procurement.
I have serious doubts that the technical documentation was not prepared in the Sofia Municipality administration. The way the specification was written raises doubts about whether the internal procedures for preparing and coordinating public procurement were followed, he states.
For this reason, Contrera will notify the Mayor of Sofia Vasil Terziev and the Inspectorate of the Sofia Municipality with a request for a full inspection of the way the procedure was prepared.
In addition, the municipal councilor is preparing a signal to the prosecutor's office with a request that the competent authorities conduct an inspection to determine whether violations of the law were committed when awarding the public procurement contract.
Against the backdrop of the severe financial problems in public transport, it is unacceptable for the Sofia Municipality to make decisions that raise doubts about the lack of real competition and the inefficient spending of public funds. Sofia deserves transparent procedures, fair competition and the best ratio between quality and price, states Carlos Contrera.