The commission will select the winner of the lucrative NK tender

Prague - The three hundred million crown tender for the completion of the National Library (NK) depository in Hostivař has entered its final phase. The selection committee has received developed offers from all five drawn construction companies. It could be clear as early as next week which of them will ultimately win the lucrative state contract, announced NK General Director Tomáš Böhm.
     "The evaluation committee will, in the coming days - in accordance with the Public Procurement Act - assess and evaluate the individual offers. We expect that the winner of this tender, unless serious errors are found in the submitted offers, will be known during the next week," Böhm stated. The developed offers were submitted by construction companies Metrostav, Unistav, Syner, Swietelsky construction, and PSG-International.
     The contract for the completion of the NK depository in Hostivař is valued at a total of 284 million crowns. Once completed, the spaces will primarily be used for the storage of books. There will also be a workspace for the digitization of volumes. The project will be financed through grants from the state budget.
     The tender for the completion of the depository was initiated by the previous library director Pavel Hazuka. However, the current head of the institution canceled it, claiming it was overpriced. Böhm ultimately reduced the original total cost of the completion by more than 120 million crowns. The library then announced a new tender for the completion of the Hostivař depository this May.
     Nonetheless, the current head of the NK has faced criticism regarding the contract. The selection committee randomly selected five out of a total of 15 applicants. Meanwhile, the Ministry for Regional Development plans to outlaw random selection of bidders for state contracts starting next year. Although the proposal still needs to be approved by lawmakers, it already has significant support from MPs across the political spectrum. However, Böhm defends his approach - the lottery was, in this case, the only quick and objective solution.
     "I agree with the reservations and criticism from MPs and ministers regarding the selection by lottery; however, I believe that when it comes to 'pre-selection' from a large number of applicants who all meet the required qualifications, and if this 'pre-selection' is conducted objectively and transparently, used exceptionally, and the law allows such a procedure, I see nothing wrong with our having used it," Böhm said recently.