'Partnership' group of Nikšić: BS Telecom and Grabovica target tender on highway A1 worth 9.1 million KM

(Patria) - The public procurement procedure for "Maintenance of the hardware part of the traffic surveillance and management system on all sections of the A1 highway", estimated at 9.1 million KM, is nearing its end with an expected outcome: the victory of the company BS Telecom, writes Istraga.ba.

Although the procedure led by JP Autoceste Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine d.o.o. Mostar was formally conducted as an open one, a detailed analysis of the tender documentation indicates a real possibility that it was clear from the very beginning that only one company could realistically win and that the competition was only apparent.

"Accidental" certificates for the "only" company?

Special attention is paid to the requirement for a series of specific manufacturer certificates and authorizations, which BS Telecom possesses in large part. Other potential bidders, according to Istraga's information, do not have a realistic possibility to obtain them in a reasonable time and are automatically eliminated.



Combination of conditions "tailor-made"?

Doubts are deepened by the fact that it is not a single specific requirement, but a series of very concrete requirements. In addition to specific certificates, the tender requires multi-million experience on identical projects, a large number of highly educated staff, 24-hour availability, and a multi-year framework agreement with one bidder. Only the naive can believe that any other company besides BS Telecom can meet such a combination of conditions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Further doubts are raised by the fact that the tender itself specifies that it is of "essential importance" for all devices to be able to communicate with the "software infrastructure" installed at Autoceste by BS Telecom.

BS Telecom's key advantage is also in the relationship that company cultivates with key SDP figures in and around the government. Namely, the relationship between Prime Minister Nermin Nikšić and the notorious Elvedin Grabovica, otherwise a master of tender tricks, is one of the most important reasons for the close relationship between BS Telecom and Autoceste FBiH.

Grabovica most often appears when misunderstandings arise, as in the case of the complaint by the company IT Centar d.o.o. Mostar. After a meeting of key actors, including the current director of the maintenance sector of Autoceste FBiH, Mirko Rogić, IT Centar withdrew its complaint on 17.12.2025, thus allowing BS Telecom to remain as the sole de facto bidder in this suspicious procedure, even though they formally filed a complaint on 1.12.2025.

The public procurement procedure continued without the possibility of further legal obstacles, as the deadlines for appeals had expired in the meantime, which the Procurement Review Office confirmed with its Conclusion of 18.12.2025 on the suspension of the appeal procedure. This effectively "locked" the procedure without any further possibility of changing the outcome.