Gas transmission operator Bulgartransgaz has successfully finalized the most important public procurement related to the implementation of the Vertical Gas Corridor concept, the company said in a press release.

This procurement covers spatial planning, investment design, procurement of necessary materials and equipment, construction, and commissioning of new sites to expand Bulgartransgaz EAD’s gas transmission infrastructure.

The open procedure under the Public Procurement Act aims to increase capacities at the Kulata/Sidirokastro and Negru Voda/Kardam interconnection points, in compliance with a decision by the National Assembly on 14 March 2024 regarding the initiative by gas transmission operators from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Moldova for a Vertical Corridor.

The public procurement is divided into three lots with a total estimated value of BGN 586.7 million (300 million euros) excluding VAT, following Bulgarian and European legislation.

Three associations submitted tenders for each lot, all of which were admitted after compliance checks. The contractor selection was based on the Methodology for a comprehensive evaluation in the participation documentation, with the selected consortium for each lot offering the most economically advantageous bid according to the “optimal quality/price ratio” criterion.