Which service providers will be in charge of extra-urban bus journeys in the future? The new contracts include some 21 million km per year, divided into ten catchment areas.
In late February, the South Tyrol government put the services on its extra-urban bus routes out to EU-wide tender. With contracts worth around 21 million kilometres annually, the tender value amounts to some EUR 714 million over a total period of ten years. A restriction in the award procedure establishes that any given bidder may be allocated a maximum of three out of the ten available lots, i.e. three catchment areas.
By 8 June 2021, 17 suppliers had submitted a total of 44 bids to the South Tyrol Agency for Procedures and Supervision in Public Works, Services and Supply Contracts (ACP/AOV) for the ten available lots. Five of the bidders are not based in South Tyrol. Following the prescribed verification process, the contracting authority has now issued a list of provisional rankings.
According to the provincial government, this procedure is yet another important step in the process of awarding and organising the quality of public transport across South Tyrol. In improving the services, the administration has put a key focus on eco-friendliness, digitisation and providing crucial information and services for passengers. And the many bids submitted highlight that there is a keen interest in the sector.
With the provisional rankings already drawn up, the next steps will now include further inspections to detect any abnormally low bids, the required verifications pursuant to art. 80 D.Lgs. no. 50/2016 (grounds for exclusion) and checks with regard to the fulfilment of the participation criteria. Once the lots have been awarded and the standstill period has expired, the contract can be concluded, meaning that the new services should start in a few months’ time.
The reorganisation of bus services was formulated by the provincial government’s Mobility Department and the provincial contracting authority, with the assistance of national and international experts as well as important national organisations in the field such as the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM), the Transport Regulation Authority (ART) and the Italian National Anti-Corruption Authority (ANAC). In addition to EU prescriptions (Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007), the sector is also subject to the South Tyrol Mobility Act and the applicable procurement code.
Click here to access the preliminary ranking