The state-owned company "Monteput" will have 137 million euros available this year, of which 105 million from the capital state budget, and 32 million from its revenues in 2025 and profits from previous years.
This money will be used to begin construction of the second section of the highway from Mateševo to Andrijevica (although it is questionable whether the new tender will be completed this year), to prepare documentation in various phases for 21 sections and subsections of highways and expressways, as well as for the operation and maintenance of the "Sozina" tunnel and the existing Podgorica-Mateševo section.
This is stated in the company's work plan for 2025, which was adopted by the government. The plan was prepared and adopted before the European Commission and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) requested the cancellation of the pre-qualification tender for the selection of the builder of the Mateševo-Andrijevica highway section.
The Government has unofficially announced that a new tender, open to all without pre-qualification requirements, will be announced by the end of February. By then, "Monteput" will have completed the procedure for preparing documentation for the remaining sections of these roads.
Highway and expressway sections are designed through three phases: conceptual design, conceptual design and main design, and each of these three phases also has revisions of the design documentation. The search for designers for all three phases is carried out through the public procurement system, and due to frequent complaints and repetition of procedures, it is not possible to predict when any of these design documents will be completed and thus due for payment.
Last year, public procurement was completed and contracts were signed for the design of conceptual designs for expressways across the Bay of Kotor, Smokovac-Božaj, Danilovgrad-Nikšić and Crnča-Pljevlja-border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the conceptual design of the Andrijevica-Čakor highway section, as well as the conceptual design of the intersection of the Bar-Boljare highway with the Adriatic-Ionian highway. "Monteput" expects these conceptual designs to be completed this year, when they will be paid for.
For 11 conceptual designs 1,2 million
From the revenues of "Monteput" this year, it is planned to launch the development of 11 conceptual designs, which they expect to cost 1,4 million euros.
These are conceptual designs for sections of the Andrijevica-Čakor, Virpazar-Sukobin, Čevo-border with BiH highways and the intersection of the Bar-Boljare and Adriatic-Ionian highways, as well as conceptual designs for the Crnča-Pljevlja-border with BiH expressways, crossing the Bay of Kotor, Danilovgrad-Nikšić, Smokovac-Božaj, Nikšić-Pljevlja, Podgorica-Danilovgrad and the regional road Rijeka Crnojevića-Virpazar.
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They expect one million euros this year from toll collection for the Sozina tunnel, or about half a million euros more than last year. They expect 11,6 million from tolls on the Podgorica-Mateševo highway section, or about 600 thousand more than last year.
This year, "Monteput" expects to use five million euros from the capital budget to pay for the development of the preliminary design of the Stari Bar-Sukobin highway section, as well as the preliminary designs for the Markovići-Lastva Grbaljska, Lastva Grbaljska-Debeli Brijeg, Crnča-Pljevlja, NIkšić-Pljevlja and the coastal road junction-Markovići. The total estimated value of the development of these planned projects is 25 million euros, but they expect that five million will be received for payment this year.
For expert committees 7,5 million
From the company's profit for the period 2021-2024, totaling 5,5 million euros, it is planned to launch or pay for the development of preliminary designs for sections of the Adriatic-Ionian highway Podgorica-Grahovo and Grahovo-border of BiH, preliminary designs for the expressways Pljevlja-border with BiH and Smokovac-Božaj, the preliminary design for the Andrijevica-Čakor highway, and the preliminary and main design for the Danilovgrad-Nikšić expressway. The development of these six project documents is estimated to cost around 17,8 million euros, and "Monteput" expects to receive 1,78 million euros in payment this year.
To monitor the implementation of all these project documents in various phases, it is necessary to form expert committees. The costs of the work of these committees during the entire duration of the preparation of documentation in all phases are estimated at 7,5 million euros, which will be financed from the profits of "Monteput" in previous and future years. They expect that 2,9 million euros of this amount will be due for collection this year.
The total costs of revising all these project documents are estimated at seven million euros, and they will be paid over the coming years as these documents are completed.
Slight increase in toll revenue
"Monteput" expects to collect 13,1 million euros from toll collection for the Sozina tunnel this year, or about half a million euros more than last year, and 11,6 million from tolls on the Podgorica-Mateševo highway section, or about 600 thousand more than last year.
They expect 881 thousand euros from renting out advertising billboards, land for base stations, and other income this year, the same amount they had last year.
5,5 million were transferred from retained earnings from previous years, while 1,3 million came from refunds of pre-paid taxes. According to government decisions, another five million euros will be received from the budget for the preparation of project documentation, as well as one hundred million for the expected start of construction of the second section of the highway from Mateševo to Andrijevica.
A cost of 11,8 million euros is planned for the investment and ongoing maintenance of the "Sozina" tunnel and the existing section of the highway, as well as the procurement of fixed assets.
4,8 million is planned for consumables, services and electricity bills, 5,3 million is needed to repay the loan to the EIB (taken for the construction of "Sozina") and the IRF, and 7,2 million for gross wages.
Due to new projects and sick leave, they will need more workers.
The "Monteput" report states that in December they had 310 permanent and temporary employees on their payroll, three members of the board of directors and three members of the audit committee.
"Salaries and other income of employees are aligned with the expected volume of work, taking into account personnel needs, given that 24-hour shift work is organized in most sectors where employees are engaged in toll collection, traffic supervision and maintenance, protection and rescue work in the Sozina tunnel and on the highway," the report stated.
Due to the preparation of projects for new sections of highways and expressways, the company states that it will be necessary to hire a certain number of engineers. Also, due to frequent sick leave and other absences of employees in the protection and rescue, maintenance and toll collection services, which must operate 24 hours a day and where there must be no interruption in the work process, they plan to hire 20 seasonal workers who will be engaged for an average of five months a year.
Therefore, the planned cost for gross earnings this year was planned at 7,2 million euros, which is about 800 thousand more than last year.
Profit 5,4 million, installment for highway 70 million
According to the preliminary report on the business operations of "Monteput" for last year, total revenues of 25,3 million euros were achieved, as well as total operating expenses of 19,9 million euros. So, the preliminary business result for 2024 is a profit of 5,4 million euros.
"The final business result will be determined after the preparation of the annual financial statements for 2024. Based on the data presented, it can be concluded that a good business result was achieved in the previous period and the prerequisites for the successful implementation of all planned obligations in the coming period have been created," the report stated.
Annually, around 70 million euros are needed to repay the loan for the construction of the highway section from Podgorica to Mateševo, which is paid from the state budget. While the total revenue from this section amounted to 11 million euros.
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