Lawyers from Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații unlock a 290 million lei contract for the purchase of 100 electric buses in the city of Bucharest
After challenges led to the disqualification of the initial bidder, the Municipality of Bucharest signs a new major procurement contract for public transport vehicles with BMC Truck & Bus, represented by Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații.
BMC Truck & Bus, a producer of electric buses located in Ciorogârla, Ilfov County, has recently signed a contract with the Municipality of Bucharest for the delivery of 100 electric buses and the related charging infrastructure. The contract was signed on Friday, 23 June 2023, one year after the tender notice was made public in the Electronic Public Procurement System (SEAP) and after the procurement procedure went through two rounds of challenges.
The Municipality of Bucharest initially declared the Turkish company Karsan Otomotiv Sanayi ve. Tikaret A.Ș. as the successful bidder. BMC Truck & Bus challenged the outcome of the procedure and had its competitor Karsan disqualified. Karsan filed a second challenge, which was rejected by the National Council for Solving Complaints (CNSC).
As a result, the Municipality of Bucharest and BMC Truck & Bus signed the contract for RON 290,000,000 (net of VAT), which provides for the delivery of 100 buses within 10 months as of signing.
BMC Truck & Bus was assisted in the challenges by Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații, with a legal team including Ionuț Șerban, Partner, and Cristian Neagu, Senior Associate. The same lawyers have successfully represented BMC Truck & Bus in several other procurement procedures launched by the Ministry of Development (for the purchase of 150 electric buses) and by several municipalities.
Furthermore, they also advised Astra Vagoane Arad on its challenge against the outcome of the tender procedure for the award of 100 trams of 36 metres, a contract signed in May 2021 with the Bucharest Municipality and currently underway.
Țuca Zbârcea & Asociaţii has a leading practice in Dispute Resolution, the firm’s pre-eminence in this area being already acknowledged by renowned international publications, such as Chambers & Partners, Legal 500 and the Global Arbitration Review.
More so, the firm is a recipient of the “Law Firm of the Year in Romania for Dispute Resolution” Award by Benchmark Litigation Europe (a publication of Euromoney Legal Media Group), one the most coveted and prestigious international accolades for law firms specialising in litigation and arbitration.