On Tuesday, the National Highway Company (NDS) announced a tender for provision of the complex service of electronic highway toll collection. The tender concerns the construction and operation of an electronic toll collection system for vehicles over 3.5 tons on a network of 2,435 km of roads in Slovakia. The NDS set the estimated value of the order at SKK 20 billion without VAT. The winning company is to have a 14-year contract, and is to build the system within one year and operate it for 13 years, from the beginning of 2009. Moreover, a contract option makes it possible to protract the contract with the future tender winner by an additional five years. The NDS plans to shortlist a maximum of five bidders based on a restricted procedure of public procurement.
Earlier this month, the Cabinet approved a regulation setting toll tariffs concerning those sections of highways and roads where the electronic toll collection system is to be installed from 2009. Contrary to the original proposal that Transport Minister Lubomir Vazny submitted to the Cabinet, the Cabinet approved rates that are 20 percent lower, which means the highway tariffs will be similar to those in the Czech Republic and Austria. Despite the fact that the toll rates will be lower than the originally proposed ones, the minister expects annual revenues from toll collection to reach SKK 4 to SKK 4.5 billion.
SANEF, Siemens, Slovak Telekom, Kapsch and consortium ToSy already confirmed interest to take part in the tender.
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