The contract for the new construction management system may be announced by the next government

Prague – The tender for the supplier of the new digitalization system for construction management may be issued by the next government. However, the start of the new solution in 2028 is not currently at risk. This was stated by Petr Waleczko, spokesperson for the Ministry for Regional Development (MMR). The Economic News reported the finding that the current government might not make it in time to issue the contract. Waleczko mentioned that another delay in issuing the new contract cannot be ruled out if there are significant changes to the construction law and the structure of building authorities after the elections. This is being considered by the ANO movement, which, according to current polls, would still be the most voted party in the Chamber of Deputies in October.

"MMR plans to initiate preliminary market consultations with potential suppliers by the end of the summer, from which the timeline for announcing the competition will depend. This process can take a few weeks to several months. The project for the new digitalization solution for construction management is currently not delayed," Waleczko said. He added that the MMR received requirements for the system by the planned deadline at the end of June and will present them to potential suppliers during the so-called market consultation by the end of the summer.

The digitalization of construction management was overseen by former Pirate Party chairman Ivan Bartoš, who was removed from the post of Minister for Regional Development last autumn due to issues with the system. Ultimately, this led to the Pirates' exit from the government coalition. After Bartoš's dismissal, the government decided not to continue with further development of the system. The current Minister for Regional Development, Petr Kulhánek (for STAN), stated upon taking office that the current government will probably not have time to sign a contract for the delivery of the new system. Meanwhile, MMR has been working on what the new contract should look like. According to the government, the new system is expected to be completed by the beginning of 2028.

According to Waleczko, MMR only considered issuing a new public competition during the summer months under the condition that broad political agreement is achieved. However, he stated that it has not yet been decided what form the public contract will take. "We are considering negotiations with publication, competitive dialogue, and PPP projects, each variant having its pros and cons. Which variant MMR will choose will depend precisely on the preliminary market consultation," the ministry's spokesperson reported. According to him, the priority is to deliver information systems that are sufficiently tested and meet user requirements. "It will also be important to allow enough time for quality training of building authority staff and relevant authorities," he added.

According to the Economic News, MMR does not yet know how much the new contract for the digitalization of construction management will cost. However, experts that the newspaper contacted unofficially estimate the price to be at least 750 million to 1.6 billion crowns. Representatives of the Czech Chamber of Architects and the Association of Secretaries of Municipal and Town Halls also questioned whether the new system could be fully functional by 2028. They previously informed ČTK that the new government will once again intervene in construction management and the construction law, which would delay the delivery of the system. According to them, the ministry's schedule anticipates further development of the system until 2031.