Tallinn's Peterburi tee construction procurement still unannounced
Construction work on Tallinn's Peterburi tee was slated to begin last month. The City of Tallinn has admitted, however, that they have yet to even announce the procurement for the project.
This August, Tallinn Deputy Mayor Pärtel-Peeter Pere (Reform) said that the first stage of the reconstruction of Peterburi tee would begin in October, adding that delaying the start of this work was not an option, as it needs to align with the construction of the new Rail Baltic terminal in Ülemiste.
Work on Peterburi tee, however, did not begin last month. ERR asked Pere what was behind the delay and what the current status is on the procurement. The deputy agreed to respond in writing.
Pere then forwarded to ERR responses provided by Sten-Kristjan Saarik, project manager for design at the Tallinn Urban Environment and Public Works Department.
"We were hopeful over the summer that we could begin construction in Peterburi tee this fall already," Saarik wrote in response to the question of why work on Peterburi tee hadn't begun in October. "Unfortunately, drawing up the procurement documents and coordinating with various agencies took more time than expected."
He noted that the city is in the final stages of drawing up and coordinating the procurement specifications and draft contract with the parties participating in the procurement.
According to Saarik, construction will begin as soon as possible after a contract has been signed. Work is expected to begin in the first half of 2025.
The city official admitted that the procurement itself has not yet been announced, adding that the plan had been to announce it in August.
"As of today, the procurement has not yet been announced; the expected publication date for the procurement in the public procurement register is November 2024," Saarik confirmed.
"The publication of the procurement was delayed due to its complexity," he explained. "This particular procurement consists of several different parts, each requiring particular attention. In procurements like this one for the first stage of Peterburi tee, it's inevitable that unforeseen circumstances will arise in the process of preparing the procurement that will prolong the time needed to draw up the procurement specifications."
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Editor: Valner Väino, Aili Vahtla
