IS THIS REAL? From e-auction and a price of 275,000 BAM, Katica pays almost a million BAM for demolition by Mevludin Commerc!?

By: Amina Čorbo-Zećo

Sarajevo Canton Interior Minister Admir Katica (NIP) boasted yesterday that after eight months, a contract was signed for construction works on the removal and demolition of the building on Kolodvorska Street.

In the process of selecting a contractor for the demolition of the building, which lasted almost eight months, the company Mevludin Commerc d.o.o. Sarajevo was chosen, and the value of the signed contract is a staggering 744,029 BAM.

Katica signed the contract yesterday


But what Katica did not explain, and which is most significant in a time of general money shortage, is how we arrived at a price difference of approximately 555,000 BAM with VAT between Bosman, which won the tender during the e-auction, and the final one awarded to Mevludin Commerc? Namely, the company Bosman won the e-auction with a bid of 275,000 BAM.


Bosman had the lowest price in the e-auction


It is now a legitimate question whether this job is truly worth 744,029 BAM, considering that another offer, from Harysco, was significantly lower, amounting to 280,000 BAM.

Formally and legally, the responsibility first lies with the minister, who, upon seeing the difference between the requested price and the prices offered by two bidders (Harysco and Bosman), should have realized that the requested price was far too high.

The responsibility further lies with the members of the Commission who decided that Mevludin Commerc suddenly met the conditions!

And what actually happened can be seen from the decision published on July 2, 2024, after which two more decisions were made on July 19, rejecting Bosman and Harysco.

The explanation clearly states that after the e-auction, everyone complained about everything! The Office for Review of Public Procurement Complaints also recommended that the contracting authority annul the tender.

Decision to annul the tender


The Ministry of Internal Affairs acted accordingly, but Mevludin Commerc and Harysco again appealed this decision to annul the tender.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs reviewed the submitted bids again, and suddenly the deficiencies identified by the Office for Review of Public Procurement Complaints for all three bidders disappeared for Mevludin Commerc, making Bosman and Harysco unqualified!

Incidentally, in the initial statement from the Office for Review of Public Procurement Complaints, it is clearly stated that Mevludin Commerc does not own the required machinery, or rather, does not have valid proof of ownership, and the Office for Review of Public Procurement Complaints also did not recognize the required work experience in demolition!

Mevludin Commerc becomes the only qualified bidder


However, Katica seems not to be too concerned about the poor police equipment and the lack of material and technical conditions for work, in order to ensure the safety of citizens at a satisfactory level.

We can agree that the construction of the Sarajevo Canton Ministry of Internal Affairs building is the most challenging infrastructure project this ministry has ever undertaken, but we cannot speak of the minister's courage, which he boasted about yesterday.

It is evident, however, that the most important thing is to spend the money allocated for this purpose by the end of a fiscally extremely exhausting year for the entire Sarajevo Canton, and it seems that half a million marks could have been saved.

Therefore, he is obliged to explain to the citizens the real value of the works for the demolition of the existing structure, which will cost the citizens almost a million marks.