Court: There were mistakes in the tender for the construction of Tyrš's bridge in Přerov

Brno - Errors were found in the tender for the construction of the Tyrš Bridge in Přerov, amounting to over 100 million crowns. The drawing method used by the city to limit the number of bidders was non-transparent. This was decided by the Regional Court in Brno. Judge Petr Šebek said this to ČTK today. The court has significantly tightened the principles for evaluating the transparency of the draws. The case was previously examined by the Office for the Protection of Competition (ÚOHS), but no errors were found. The case is returning to the ÚOHS again.
    The city announced the tender in 2009. The company Skanska was selected. However, the competing company FIRESTA - Fišer, reconstruction, construction, a.s. contested the tender. The ÚOHS found no errors in the tender. The case was closed in July 2010. Subsequently, the city began construction.
    According to Šebek, while the drawing appeared to be conducted properly at first glance, involving invited representatives of the bidders and a notary, upon closer examination, there were circumstances that collectively "attacked the transparency of the draw".
    "If the drawing cards were prepared in advance outside any control of the notary or the representatives of the interested parties, the possibility of the cards being manipulated in a certain way could not be excluded," Šebek stated. The draw in Přerov took place in an opaque high wooden container. According to the court, the person drawing had metal bracelets on their arms. "The court agreed with the plaintiff that the real possibility that the drawing did not occur, but instead, cards were drawn from the container using magnets on the bracelets of the person drawing, which had been pre-filled with a metal solution, cannot be completely excluded," Šebek mentioned.
    According to him, the very fact that there is doubt about the regularity and fairness of the drawing led to a violation of the law. It is therefore not essential whether the drawing was actually influenced or not. The court also added that a procedure that might have been considered fair several years ago cannot be regarded as transparent today.
    The Přerov city hall began the long-planned construction of the new Tyrš Bridge over the Bečva River two years ago in August. It replaced the existing footbridge, which was in poor condition. The construction is set to be finished this spring. The original Tyrš Bridge from the early 20th century was destroyed by the German army at the end of World War II. The footbridge that replaced it was in a state of emergency.