The project that includes the construction of the first five kilometres of motorway in the Republic of Moldova must undergo a new assessment of the winning contractor’s bid. The Bucharest Court of Appeal has ordered the National Road Investment Company (CNIR) to reassess the bid submitted by the consortium led by Itinera for the Iași–Ungheni section of the A8 Union Motorway, even though the contract had already been signed in July, Bani.md reports.
The ruling is final and follows challenges filed by the companies Concelex and Construcții Erbașu. The court partially annulled the procurement procedure documents concerning the evaluation of Itinera’s bid and ordered CNIR to reassess it within 20 days of receiving the ruling. Following this stage, the company must issue a new evaluation decision to establish the ranking of the bids.
For the Republic of Moldova, the key issue is the five-kilometre motorway section planned beyond the Prut River, which is included in the same contract as the section connecting Iași to the bridge at Ungheni. The ruling requires the contractor’s bid to be reassessed but does not award the works to another company.
The Italian consortium Itinera–Saipem–ICM was declared the winner in April with a bid of 3.57 billion Romanian lei, excluding VAT. Initially, the National Council for Solving Complaints rejected the challenges filed by competing companies, allowing the contract to be signed on July 2 in the presence of officials from Romania and the Republic of Moldova.
The contract provides for 46 months to complete the project: 10 months for design and 36 months for construction. The section between the DN24 national road in the Iași area and the bridge over the Prut River is 15.5 kilometres long, and the contract also includes the five kilometres on Moldovan territory. The route is planned to include 14 bridges and overpasses, two tunnels and two road interchanges.
The project is financed through the European SAFE programme and aims to develop a road connection between the two countries for both civilian transport and military mobility. The project documentation prioritises the connection between the Golăiești interchange and the bridge over the Prut River at Ungheni.