Battle over motorway supervision

A US firm and a consortium made up of two European firms are fighting to oversee the execution of the Brasov-Bors highway by the US company Bechtel, Sorin Bota, a secretary of state with the Transportation, Construction and Tourism Ministry, told Ziarul Financiar.

The value of the supervision contract will total several million dollars, while the contract for the highway’s construction sealed in December with Bechtel is worth more than 2.4 billion dollars.

“The consultant to be chosen by the Romanian State to supervise the highway works will have to monitor the execution of the project from the very beginning, to confirm and account for the quality of the works. At the same time, the consultant will analyse all aspects of the contract, including whether there are financing problems or relationships between the contractor and sub-contractors,” explained the MTCT official. The tender will attract consultancy firms specialising in this type of infrastructure project, such as the US company Parsons.

The Romanian State’s consultant will be paid from the same funds as Bechtel. To finance the contract concluded with Bechtel, the Romanian authorities will contract foreign loans worth more than 2.8 billion euros, covered by state guarantees.

One such consultant was the British firm Gibb, which assisted the Romanian side in the construction of the Bucuresti-Pitesti highway. After the Italian Federici-Astaldi-Todini consortium finalised works, a 23-km section of ‘slurry seal’ broke, though this took place after the guarantee programme had expired. The Romanian Ministry thus entered into arbitration procedures with the consultant.
adrian.mirsanu@zf.ro