Elering Drops Appeal in Public Procurement Case
Power transmission system operator Elering has withdrawn the action it had filed in administrative court against the Public Procurement Appeals Committee's decision, which stated that Elering had broken legislative rules by awarding the contract for the development of the electronic trading system that will connect suppliers, grid operators, and clients to Tieto Estonia and Tieto Latvia.
The procurement contract award was challenged last month by Proekspert AS, which said Elering allowed the winning bidder to change deadlines and lower price bids in the course of the tender. Other bidders were allegedly not given equal opportunity for negotiation.
According to a member of the board of Proekspert, Andres Haavel, it is a positive sign that Elering reached the understanding that it had managed the procurement process incorrectly before the hearing that was to be held next week. "Essentially, by dropping the appeal, Elering acknowledged that the Public Procurement Appeals Committee made the correct decision by upholding the challenge by Proekspert,' said Haavel.
"Proekspert is still willing to cooperate with Elering to complete the application needed for implementing the electronic trading system for the power market. The bid made by Proekspert AS for the development of the data warehouse was technically acceptable and financially the most advantageous,' said Haavel, and added that since the project is labor intensive, it is not realistic that Elering will be able to complete it on its own.
Sigrid Maasen