Millions in concrete, construction site deserted: Work on the facility in Zagorič has been suspended for three months

The multi-million-dollar, multi-purpose facility in Zagorič, which should also house the Health Center dispensary, has been at a standstill for three months - works have been suspended, and it is not known when they will resume, due to several complaints that the contractor has made to the investor, the Agency for Construction and Development of Podgorica.

According to unofficial information from "Vijesti", the company "Gradnja Promet", which had already requested an extension of the deadline for the construction of a multifunctional facility worth almost 3,5 million euros, warned the Agency at the beginning of the year that they needed more time - until August, among other things, due to the fact that "the fire-fighting installation was designed together with the sanitary installation, which is not in accordance with the regulations."

They also claim that several rooms, some of which are the offices of the future Health Center dispensary, are not included in the existing project, and that "certain phases of construction, including the roof, facade, as well as electrical and mechanical installations," are disputed.

When asked for comment, the Capital City referred the journalist to the Agency, to which questions had already been sent, but the editorial staff is still waiting for answers.

The company "Gradnja Promet" did not respond to questions about the new request for an extension of the deadline, as well as many others.

Construction site deserted, deadlines hidden

The “Vijesti” team previously visited the construction site. Despite the fact that the facility is in an advanced stage of construction, there was no machinery or employees on the site. One of the two employees that the journalist found near the facility unofficially announced that “the works were suspended on December 31st of last year, and that the Agency is the address for all other questions”.

According to the contract, the works were to be completed within 18 months from the date of the contractor's introduction into the job. The works began in January 2024 and were to be completed in the summer of last year. After that, according to information from "Vijesti", the first Annex to the basic contract was signed, and the director of the Agency Bajko Vucicevic He told the media at the time that the facility would be open by March of this year.

This is questionable, and what is best illustrated by the sign from the construction site - the construction completion deadline has been covered, so one of the larger settlements in Podgorica will still be waiting for primary health care, a market, a post office, a local community...

"Vijesti" asked the Podgorica Agency for Construction and Development whether the works have been suspended and since when, what the reasons are, what stage the construction of the facility is in, when the works are expected to resume, and what the new deadline is for the completion of the 2.676 square meter multifunctional building.

We also expect answers to the questions of whether a new annex to the basic contract from December 2023 has been concluded, what deadlines are defined by it, whether there will be an increase in the contracted value of the works and in what amount... The editorial team also requested information on how much money has been paid to the contractor so far, whether there were any problems in the implementation of the contract, as well as when the completion and commissioning of the facility can realistically be expected.

The company "Gradnja Promet" did not want to specify the stage of construction, nor did it want to say whether there were any problems in the implementation of the contract - technical, financial, administrative, and, if there were any, to explain their nature.

The editorial team also sought answers to questions about why the deadlines were missed, as well as whether a new annex to the contract was concluded with the Agency. "Gradnja Promet" was also asked whether it expects an increase in the contracted value of the works and to what extent, how much has been invoiced and collected so far for the works performed, and whether all due claims have been settled.

Problems

According to unofficial information from "Vijesti", there have been several meetings regarding this facility in the last few months, and some of them were organized in the premises of the Capital City.

According to the same information, the implementation of the project is accompanied by numerous problems of a technical and organizational nature. During the execution of the works, inconsistencies in the project documentation, or inconsistencies between the architectural, structural and installation solutions, were pointed out, which required additional changes and harmonization.

Problems were also allegedly identified in the part of hydrotechnical solutions and drainage, where adequate technical solutions were not defined in certain segments. In addition to the fire protection system that was not in compliance with applicable regulations, as additional challenges in the implementation of the project, according to the same information, differences were also noted between the designed and actual conditions on the ground, especially in the roof and facade areas, which required additional checks and adjustments.

"During the meetings, the increase in prices of construction materials and labor was also mentioned, especially in the segments of facade works, roofing systems and installations, which affected the dynamics of the work," said a source for "Vijesti".