The chairman of the Office for the Protection of Competition has definitively canceled the selection of the supplier for the second stage of metro line D

The winner of the tender was a consortium led by Subterra with a price of approximately 30 billion CZK. According to the ÚOHS decision, the Prague Public Transit Company (DPP) did not adhere to the principle of transparency in evaluating the bids. "The chairman of the office assessed the first-instance decision in the context of the appeals of the selected contractor and the proposer and concluded that the decision shows no defects and is lawful," said the office's spokesperson, Martin Švanda.

"The DPP respects the current binding decision of the ÚOHS. According to this ruling, the DPP will reassess all qualifications and references of the remaining two applicants and will make a new decision," Šabík said in response. The company will thus re-evaluate the bids of the consortium led by Subterra and the firm Strabag. At the same time, the decision cancels other similar proceedings that the antimonopoly office was addressing, according to Šabík.

The last active proceeding concerns the exclusion of companies Porr, Vinci, and Marti (PVM) from the tender, which the unsuccessful consortium contested. "Without a binding decision from the antimonopoly office in this proceeding, the DPP will not be able to conclude a contract with the winning bidder and begin construction of the second section of metro D," he stated. He added that the DPP assessed the qualifications of the bidders in the same manner as in the case of the first section, where courts of all instances confirmed the correctness of the procedure.

Deputy Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (DPP) expressed a similar view. "Unfortunately, DPP and the people of Prague have become victims of the competitive struggle among the bidders in the case of metro D. This is quite understandable, as it is a large and prestigious contract, but I hope that a final decision will be reached as soon as possible," he added.

The company Subterra disagrees with the decision. "We do not agree with yesterday's (Monday's) decision of the chairman of the ÚOHS regarding the canceled evaluation of bids. Conversely, we welcome that the ÚOHS recognized the fulfillment of our professional qualifications. We stand by the quality of our offer, feel bound by it, and are ready to take relevant steps in the further course of the competition that will lead to the realization of the project that the people of Prague are so eagerly waiting for," said Jiří Nový, head of its commercial policy department, to ČTK.

The antimonopoly office dealt with the tender at the request of the construction group Strabag, satisfied only part of the proposal, and canceled only the decision on the selection of the contractor. According to the office, the transit company did not comply with the principle of transparency in evaluating the bids. "At the same time, the contracting authority did not adhere to the principle of equal treatment when, in connection with the evaluation of the bids, it did not invite the proposer to clarify and supplement information or documents concerning the experience of a member of the professional staff, while the selected contractor was repeatedly given this opportunity," stated the ÚOHS.

The DPP selected the contractor for the second part of the metro last August. The tender concerns the section of the new line from Olbrachtova to Nové Dvory. The selection of the consortium led by Subterra in 2023 was contested by the consortium of companies Porr, Vinci, and Marti (PVM), and the DPP subsequently canceled the selection of the project winner, but not the tender itself. Last August, it selected a winner for the second time, again a consortium led by Subterra. This selection was contested by Strabag and the PVM consortium. The antimonopoly office also satisfied the proposal of the PVM consortium, but has not yet decided on the appeal.

The construction of the new metro line began in 2022. The kilometer-long section between the Pankrác and Olbrachtova stations is under construction and is to be followed by the section from Olbrachtova to Nové Dvory. Additionally, a segment from Nové Dvory to the Písnice Depot will be built. The original completion estimate was 2029, but due to disputes, it will likely be postponed, with operation anticipated in 2031.