Submission deadline: 1 October 2026 | Contract notice CN1095815
Administrația Străzilor București (the Bucharest Roads Authority) has launched an open tender procedure for “Design and works execution services for the investment objective «Strengthening/Rehabilitation of Pasajul Victoriei»”. It is one of the largest urban infrastructure procedures currently open in the Romanian capital and, given how it is structured, a contract accessible to only a limited number of economic operators.
What is being tendered
The contract is a design-and-build contract, awarded as a single lot, with a duration of 28 months. Main CPV code: 45221110-6 – Bridge construction work.
The total estimated value is RON 138,101,175.82 excluding VAT, broken down as follows:
| Component | Value (RON, excl. VAT) |
|---|---|
| Construction and assembly works (C+M) | 130,898,253.60 |
| Plant and technological equipment (chapter 4.3) | 1,650,000.00 |
| Site organisation related costs | 1,200,000.00 |
| Design services | 3,874,807.61 |
| Technical assistance from the designer | 478,114.61 |
Of the C+M value, RON 888,000.00 excluding VAT is allocated to construction works and installations related to site organisation.
One element deserves particular attention: the amount of RON 27,385,221.12 excluding VAT representing miscellaneous and unforeseen costs is not included in the value of the contract being awarded. It is provided for in the general cost estimate (devizul general) and may be accessed later, as needed, through contract amendment under Article 221 of Law no. 98/2016.
The technical basis of the procedure is a technical expert report prepared in 2023, establishing the current condition of the overpass. The tender documentation refers to the DALI (feasibility study for intervention works), version 2 as recommended by its author, and the technical proposal must demonstrate point-by-point correspondence with the solutions established in the DALI.
The contract is not financed from European Union funds.
Award criterion: 40% price, 60% technical component
The award is made on the best price-quality ratio. The scoring structure is central to any bidder’s strategy:
| Evaluation factor | Maximum score |
|---|---|
| Offer price | 40 |
| Professional experience – Project Manager | 10 |
| Professional experience – Design Team Coordinator | 5 |
| Professional experience – Railways, Roads and Bridges design engineer | 5 |
| Organisation and methodology (4 sub-factors × 5 points) | 20 |
| Environmentally friendly plant and equipment | 10 |
| Social inclusion component | 5 |
| Use of BIM technology | 5 |
| Total | 100 |
The price score is awarded proportionally: P(n) = (lowest offered price / price n) × 40.
Three practical observations on this grid.
First: 60 out of 100 points are technical, and 20 of them — the organisation and methodology factors — are awarded on the quality of the drafting of the technical proposal. The documentation explicitly warns that text copied from the terms of reference without further detail receives the minimum score (1 point out of 5 on each sub-factor). The difference between 4 and 20 points is made in the writing, not in actual technical capability.
Second: the 10 points for environmentally friendly plant are won or lost on documents, not on promises. The maximum score requires a minimum of 5 electric or hybrid machines (5 points) and a minimum of 34 EURO 6 tipper trucks or concrete mixer trucks (5 points). Proof is provided through the fixed assets register, lease or loan-for-use agreements, and documents establishing the emission standard. For a bidder that does not already own the fleet, this is a partnering or contracting decision that must be taken early.
Third: BIM is worth 5 points, but only at Level 2 — a coordinated model used both in design (including technical detailing) and in execution, updated as construction progresses. BIM in the design phase only is worth 2.5 points. The commitment becomes an integral part of the contract, and failure to honour it may trigger contractual penalties.
The social inclusion component offers 5 points for employing three persons with disabilities or persons unemployed for more than 6 months, with proof to be submitted within a maximum of 10 days from notification of the procedure result.
Qualification requirements: the real filter
This is where it is decided who can bid and who cannot.
Economic and financial capacity. The average global turnover for 2023, 2024 and 2025 must be at least RON 276,000,000 — roughly twice the contract value. In addition, the current ratio (current assets / current liabilities) must exceed 1.2 in each of the three years, not on average. The bidder ranked first must also demonstrate access to unencumbered financial resources of at least RON 50,000,000 excluding VAT, dedicated exclusively to this contract, for a period of 8 months from the works commencement order.
Similar experience – works. Completion, within the last 5 years, of a similar construction under a contract of the same nature, or a maximum of 2 contracts, with a cumulative value of at least RON 130,000,000 excluding VAT. Similar works are defined as new construction, rehabilitation, modernisation or widening of urban streets, national roads, express roads or motorways, which included at least one bridge, overpass or viaduct.
Similar experience – services. Design, within the last 3 years, of a similar construction, or a maximum of 3 contracts, with a cumulative value of at least RON 4,300,000 excluding VAT, for transport infrastructure construction which included at least one bridge, overpass or viaduct.
Plant and equipment. The list is substantial: one asphalt plant, two concrete batching plants (supply contracts are accepted), one excavator, two front loaders, two asphalt milling machines, two asphalt pavers, four rollers, 20 tipper trucks, 15 concrete mixer trucks, three mechanical sweepers, three bitumen sprayers, two pneumatic-tyred rollers, two shotcrete machines, one sandblasting unit, and one authorised laboratory of the appropriate grade.
Certifications. ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 or equivalent, a requirement associated only with the execution of works.
Personnel as a qualification requirement. Health and safety officer (SSM) and quality control officer (CQ) only. The remaining specialists — the project manager, the design team coordinator, the roads and bridges design engineer — are not qualification requirements but evaluation factors, which entirely changes the logic of selecting them.
Guarantees, deadlines and contractual conditions
- Tender guarantee: RON 1,381,000 (1%), valid for a minimum of 180 days from the submission deadline, irrevocable, payable unconditionally on first demand. Account: RO18TREZ7015006XXX000213, Trezoreria Sector 1 Bucharest.
- Performance guarantee: 10% of the contract price excluding VAT.
- Offer validity period: 6 months from the deadline for receipt of tenders.
- Works warranty period: minimum 60 months, undertaken by declaration in the technical proposal.
- Price adjustment: the formula An = av + (1 – av) × In / Io applies, using the construction cost index published by the National Institute of Statistics. As no advance payment is granted, the coefficient av equals 0. Adjustment may be applied after at least 60 days from signature, at each interim payment certificate.
The procedure is conducted entirely online, through SEAP (the Romanian electronic public procurement system). All documents must bear a qualified electronic signature based on a qualified certificate.
The calendar that matters
The deadline for submission of tenders is 1 October 2026. Everything else follows from it:
- Requests for clarification must be submitted at least 18 days in advance, i.e. by 13 September 2026.
- The contracting authority will respond on the 11th day before the deadline, i.e. around 20 September 2026.
(These two dates are derived from the time limits set out in the tender data sheet; we recommend verifying them against the notice published in SEAP.)
In practice, the clarification window closes more than two weeks before submission. Any ambiguity in the terms of reference not raised by 13 September becomes a risk borne by the bidder.
What this means for an interested economic operator
The combination of RON 276 million turnover, a current ratio above 1.2 in each of three consecutive years, and RON 130 million of similar experience significantly narrows the list of companies able to bid on their own. For most operators — and particularly for foreign companies without a track record of Romanian contracts at this scale — the realistic answer is a consortium or third-party support, both expressly permitted by the documentation.
The decision on the form of participation cannot be left to the final days. The consortium agreement, the firm commitment of the supporting third party, and separate DUAE (European Single Procurement Document) forms for each entity are submitted together with the offer. The same applies to lease or loan-for-use agreements for plant and the emission standard documentation — the ones worth 10 points — which need time to negotiate.
With 60 out of 100 points allocated to the technical component, this procedure is not won on the lowest price. It is won through a carefully written technical proposal, a properly documented fleet, and a participation structure planned well in advance.
Mădălin Matica – Tender Management
I provide full consultancy on Romanian public procurement: analysis of tender documentation, eligibility assessment, structuring of consortia, drafting of technical proposals, and management of the procedure in SEAP. I work predominantly with foreign companies entering the Romanian infrastructure market.
If you are assessing this procedure or evaluating similar opportunities, feel free to get in touch for a preliminary discussion.
