The Coal Mine (RUP) has canceled the tender for the coal transport service from Pljevlja to the Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) plant, with an estimated value of 3,6 million euros excluding VAT, after it was determined that none of the submitted bids were correct or that the bidders were excluded from the procedure.
Four bids were received for the tender, including a joint bid from the companies "Virom Group" from Belgrade and "Bedem Energy Solutions" from Pančevo, a joint bid from "MP Royal Corporation", "Zlatar prevoz", "Zlatar šped" and the trucking company "Golf šped Trivuna Vujetića", a bid from a bidder who used the capacities of the company "Matador šped from Prijepolje", as well as a joint bid from the companies "Steel Express Logistics" and "Kordun Metali" from Novi Sad.
The Commission for the Implementation of the Public Procurement Procedure determined that three bids had reasons for mandatory exclusion, while one bid was assessed as incorrect because it was not prepared in accordance with the requirements of the tender documentation.
Bidders may appeal this decision to the Commission for the Protection of Rights within 10 days from the date of publication of the decision. This decision was published on 19 December.
On November 6, RUP published a tender for the selection of a contractor for the coal transport service from Pljevlja to the Elektroprivreda Srbije facility. The estimated value of the procurement was 3,6 million euros, with an additional 756 thousand euros in VAT, which makes the total value of the tender more than 4,3 million euros.
The subject of the procurement includes the transport of coal from the Coal Mine with the separation location "Doganje" and the crushing plant "Maljevac" to the landfills at the TENT A, TENT B, TPP Morava and Vreoci plants. The coal will be delivered successively, according to a monthly defined schedule, and the contract execution deadline is March 31, 2026.
Only economic entities that meet the strict conditions defined by the Public Procurement Law may participate in the public procurement procedure.
Among other things, bidders must prove that they possess a license for international transport of goods and a license extract for each vehicle that will be engaged in the implementation of the contract, and that they possess significant experience in coal transport.
The condition was that in the last three years they had successfully completed at least one contract for the truck transport of coal with a total quantity of at least 100.000 tons.
In addition to experience, bidders must have at least one person responsible for supervision and organization of transport with a secondary or higher education, at least 40 drivers of category C, with valid driving licenses and proof of engagement, and a minimum of 40 dump trucks with a gross carrying capacity of 32 to 41 tons, technically sound, registered for international transport and insured.
Executive Director of the Coal Mine Nemanja Laković signed a multi-million contract with Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) for the delivery of 100.000 tons of brown coal on October 24, which is one of the largest export arrangements in recent years and provides multi-million revenue to the largest Pljevlja-based company.
According to the contracted terms, the coal will be sold at a price of 8 euros per kilojoule, which, according to the current calorific value, is around 80 euros per ton. Between 30 and 40 trucks will be delivered daily, and all coal will be measured on the scales of the Pljevlja Coal Mine. Laković previously told "Vijesti" that they expect an income of four to five million euros from this deal.
According to the contract, the Mine is obliged to organize the transport of coal to the buyer.
This is not the first contract between Rudnik from Pljevlja and Elektroprivreda Srbije. In May 2022, the then executive director Milan Lekic signed a coal purchase and sale agreement with the acting director of EPS, Miroslav Tomašević. At that time, the planned delivery was 300.000 tons of brown lignite, of which 40.000 tons in the first phase, at a price of 28,8 euros per ton for a thermal power of 8.000 kJ/kg.
However, the contract was not fully implemented. EPS unilaterally terminated it, stating that Rudnik had not provided a bill of exchange as security. The termination was the subject of numerous controversies at the time, with EPS claiming that Rudnik had violated its formal obligations, while Lekić stated that it was an “administrative misunderstanding” that could have been resolved by agreement.
Shortly thereafter, the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT), following a criminal complaint from the Democratic Party of Socialists, launched an investigation against the management of the Mine, asking Milan Lekić to explain how the price of 28,8 euros per ton at which coal was sold to EPS was established. At the same time, the Special Police Department (SPO) seized complete documentation on the procurement of mining dump trucks, which raised additional questions about the business practices of the then management.
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