Organizers of the referendum on the relocation of the train station: Brno violated the public procurement law

Brno - The Alliance for Referendum 2016, which is behind the announcement of a plebiscite on the location of the main train station in Brno, believes that the city has violated the public procurement law. It directly assigned seven architectural firms to develop a conceptual study for the so-called southern center with the station in a displaced position. For seven studies, it paid 5.9 million, assigning them as seven small-scale contracts. For each, it paid 847,000 crowns, stated the media representative of the alliance, Josef Patočka, in a press release. The city's statement is being sought by ČTK.

The initiators of the referendum are considering filing a complaint with the antimonopoly office to initiate administrative proceedings. According to them, the city intentionally avoided an open tender.

The alliance also criticizes the conceptual studies because people will answer the second question in the referendum about whether they want the city to decide on the modernization exclusively through open design competitions.

The city will present the southern center study with the station in a displaced position today at 3:00 PM in the House of Art, where it is already exhibiting designs with the station in the center. "Due to the shorter preparation time and poorer organization of the entire matter, they inevitably look like a poor relative next to dozens of projects from leading teams across Europe. The contrast with the international competition for the centrally located station, which was conducted according to the methodology of the Czech Chamber of Architects, is evident both in the process and in the results. This illustrates the justification of the second question in the upcoming referendum, which is meant to commit the city to find a suitable solution for the modernization of the station in the center exclusively through open architectural competitions," said Patočka.

The referendum is scheduled for early October, concurrently with the regional elections. In it, people will answer the question of whether they agree with the city taking all necessary steps to modernize the station at the location by Nádražní street, that is, where it is now and where the Alliance for Referendum 2016 believes it should remain. Voters will also respond to the question of whether they agree that the best solution for the modernization should be determined through open design competitions. For the result to be binding, at least 35 percent of voters must participate.

The Railway Administration is also preparing a feasibility study that will show the advantages and disadvantages of both variants. However, it will not be complete by October. Studies have previously demonstrated that the station can function in both positions.