Kladno received a fine for the renovation of Masaryk Square

Brno - The Kladno City Hall received a fine of 200,000 crowns from the Office for the Protection of Competition (ÚOHS) for errors during the reconstruction of Masaryk Square. In one of the amendments, it significantly changed the terms of the contract. The decision of the office is not final. ÚOHS announced this in a press release today. Spokeswoman for Kladno City Hall, Lenka Růžková, told ČTK that the city would wait until it receives the decision, and then consider a possible appeal. According to her, the project's cost did not increase.

According to ÚOHS, the conclusion of the amendment to the implementation contract increased the unit prices for construction work. In addition, further construction works and deliveries were added to the original contract, which were carried out by the selected company.

According to Růžková, the city commissioned the contract in good faith as it was long-standing practice according to the framework contract that resulted from the tender under the previous city hall leadership at the end of 2012. "After discovering some line-item deficiencies, we immediately took measures and terminated this contract on April 15, 2016," said the spokeswoman. The city also announced a new competition for an updated framework contract.

Kladno has been dealing with ÚOHS since March of this year. "The contracting authority's procedure led to a change in the economic balance of the contract to the detriment of the contracting authority and to an expansion of the subject of performance," stated ÚOHS chairman Petr Rafaj. According to him, this procedure could significantly affect the selection of the most suitable offer.

The decision is not yet final, and Kladno City Hall can appeal it by filing a so-called appeal. It would be addressed by the appeal commission of the chairman of the antimonopoly office.