Audit Reveals Shortcomings in the €15.9 Million Tender for the A6 and A7 Motorways

The National Audit Office (NAO) has published a performance audit report entitled “Implementation of Procurement Procedures for the Routine and Winter Maintenance of the A7 and A6 Motorways of the Republic of Kosovo for 2025–2028.” It found that the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport had not ensured that the procurement process was fully conducted in accordance with the principles of economy, efficiency, equal treatment and non-discrimination.

According to the NAO, the procedure, with an estimated value of €15.9 million and a duration of 36 months, had been launched just 36 days before the existing contracts expired. As a result, the period for submitting bids had been reduced from 40 to 21 days.

However, shortening the deadline had not produced the intended result. The opening of bids had been postponed five times, while the procedure had lasted around five months because of requests for reconsideration, an appeal to the Procurement Review Body and changes to the tender dossier. Since the open procedure had not been completed before the start of the winter season, the Ministry had turned to negotiated procedures to avoid interrupting motorway maintenance.

Through four negotiated contracts, each lasting six months, approximately €2.8 million had been paid by July 2026. The NAO assessed that using this form of procurement had narrowed competition and provided less transparency compared with the open procedure.

Problems were also identified during the review of the bids. In several cases, the Evaluation Committee had not requested the necessary explanations regarding technical, formal or methodological ambiguities, even though clarifying them would not have substantially changed the content of the bid. According to the audit, this had increased the risk that economic operators would not be treated fully equally.

The report also found that the Ministry had not examined all possible combinations of compliant bids for the four lots. Another combination identified by the auditors would have resulted in an overall unit price around 15% lower than that of the contracted combination. Consequently, the Ministry had not selected the most economical option and had lost the opportunity to carry out more services with the allocated budget.

The report also noted significant differences between the prices submitted in the bids and the Ministry’s reference values. In Lot Three, 77 of a total of 113 items, or 68% of them, had been offered at prices more than 90% lower than the reference prices.

In certain cases, items that the Ministry had calculated at €180 or €240 had been bid at just €0.10 per unit. No documented analysis had been prepared for these differences, and the economic operators had not been asked for sufficient explanations. According to the NAO, this had increased the possibility of difficulties arising during the implementation and administration of the contracts.

Regarding the integrity of the procedure, the audit had identified circumstances that could potentially constitute a conflict of interest. The chair of the Evaluation Committee had previously had a professional engagement with the economic operator that had been declared the winner of one of the lots. The Ministry had not assessed or addressed these circumstances, and the matter had not been referred to the competent authority, creating uncertainty about the impartiality and credibility of the evaluation.

Auditor General Vlora Spanca said that launching procedures on time, setting clear criteria and documenting the evaluation of bids were essential for fair competition and greater value for public money. She called on the Ministry to strengthen controls at every stage of procurement, particularly during price analysis, the selection of the most economical combination of bids, and the prevention and management of situations that could cause a conflict of interest.

To improve procurement and ensure more efficient use of public funds, the National Audit Office has issued seven recommendations to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.