They are looking for an auditor for an oil reservoir project.

The Ministry of Energy and Mining is looking for a company to review the main project for the adaptation and modernization of three oil product reservoirs at the Bar Terminal, with an estimated value of 20.000 euros. The audit will cover reservoirs with a total capacity of 17.400 cubic meters.

This is a simple procurement, and the Ministry has set the price as the only criterion for selecting the most favorable bid. However, bidders are required to have appropriate licenses and professional staff to review the construction, mechanical and electrical documentation, electronic communication networks and fire protection.

The reservoir adaptation job was awarded to a consortium of companies led by the Croatian company SAKZ, which has a deadline of 270 days (nine months) from the date of introduction into the job.

Delegation of the Ministry of Energy and Mining led by the Minister Admir Šahmanović visited the Port of Bar on March 12th to announce the start of the adaptation and modernization of state reservoirs.

"Today we are introducing the contractor and supervision into the work and thus practically starting work on a project that is of great importance for the energy security of Montenegro," said Šahmanović.

The selected bidder will have to complete the review of the project documentation within 25 calendar days of its submission. If the documentation is corrected after the review, a new report will have to be submitted within five days.

A penalty of one percent of the total contracted value for each day of delay is foreseen, up to a maximum of 15 percent of the value of the service. The Ministry also reserves the right to claim damages if the damage due to exceeding the deadline exceeds the calculated contractual penalty.

The tender stipulates that the selected contractor will be paid 90 percent of the contracted value in advance, within seven days of signing the contract and submitting the advance invoice and guarantee. The remaining ten percent will be paid within ten days of submitting the final audit report. The audit will include the construction, technical-technological and mechanical design, high and low voltage electrical installation designs, as well as the fire protection design.

The consortium of companies participating in the adaptation also includes the companies "Ivkon", "Fatima-ING", "Lars-Fire", "MM sistem", "Montenegro Lift" and "PINC Cei".

This contract, which was signed on December 9th last year, was only concluded on the third attempt, after the previous two tenders were unsuccessful.

The first tender was announced in late 2024, and was canceled in February last year because no bids were received. The second tender was announced in April 2025, but was canceled due to invalid bids.

The total value of the works is 1.739.793,19 euros excluding VAT, or 2.105.149,76 euros including tax, and the contractor is obliged to provide guarantees for the proper execution of the work, which additionally protects the interests of the client.

In December 2024, the Parliament adopted the Law on Security of Supply of Petroleum Products, which is essential for the closure of Chapter 15 (Energy) and requires the formation of oil reserves. These reserves are formed and maintained for the needs of supply disruptions or emergencies.

The state plans to store oil reserves in the state-owned “Montenegro Bonus” reservoirs in Bar, but since they are not adapted, a contract was signed with the private company “Jugopetrol”, a member of the Greek “Hellenic Group”, to store the reserves. The contract with “Jugopetrol” was signed for three years.

The Hydrocarbons Administration plans to launch a new procedure for the procurement of diesel for state mandatory reserves by the end of September, as recently announced to "Vijesti", if market circumstances allow. This will be the third attempt for the state to procure the first quantities of oil reserves, after the first tender was canceled for procedural reasons, and the second due to a significant increase in market prices of oil and oil derivatives.

At the end of July, the Parliament adopted amendments to the law on security of supply of petroleum products, proposed by the Bosniak Party, according to which a tender for the procurement of oil reserves would not be announced under the Law on Public Procurement, but would be done through a public call.