January 30 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria's Pernik municipality said it will sign four contracts for water network repairs worth 20.2 million levs ($11.4 million/10.3 million euro) combined with local companies Raicommerce Construction, GBS-Infrastrukturno Storitelstvo and Gelak.
Two of the contracts will be awarded to Sofia-based Raicommerce Construction, including the highest-priced deal worth some 5.9 million levs, the municipality said in a notice published by Bulgaria's procurement agency on Wednesday.
The project envisages the reconstruction of the water supply network under some of the main streets on the territory of Pernik municipality. The awarded companies will be responsible for the project design, construction works, supply of the necessary materials, construction supervision along with maintenance.
Pernik municipality has selected the companies without launching a public procurement procedure, due to the urgency of the needed works.
According to Bulgaria's Law on Public Procurement, when a certain project has to be implemented urgently due to unforeseen circumstances, the contracting authority is not required to launch a public procurement procedure.
Pernik, located some 30 km south of Sofia, is gripped by a severe water crisis due to dry weather in 2019 and the dilapidared water supply infrastructure in the region.The poor condition of the water supply network in Pernik municipality, which has not been rehabilitated for more than 50 years, leads to water losses of 76% on the territory of the municipality.
The crisis led to the resignation of the country's minister of environment and water Neno Dimov, who was detained in police custody in relation to investigations into the reasons for the severe shortage of drinking water in Pernik.
Bulgaria is due to start the construction of a new water supply pipeline from the capital Sofia to Pernik, which will feed the city with up to 300 litres of water per second.
(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)