ICGB AD launched a procedure for the award of public procurement with subject “Archeological studies of archeological sites found along the route of gas interconnector Greece-Bulgaria“.

The estimated value of the public procurement is BGN 3 000 000 (three million) exclusive VAT and the term for implementation of the public procurement is 3 months as of award of the study for the respective archeological site. The selection of a contractor for the archeological studies will be made through a procedure of negotiation with initial invitation for participation. This type of procedure entitles the contracting authority to negotiate with participants who have been invited to participate after a pre-selection after the initial tenders submitted by the candidates. The deadline for submitting requests for participation in the first phase of the procedure is 05.06.2018.

Subject of the archeological studies will be the linear part of the pipeline IGB together with its servitude, the sites for the block valves, the above-ground installations and the infrastructure (power supply lines, water supply lines, sewerage, road connections). At the stage of preparing a report on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIAR) from the realization of an IGB gas pipeline, pre-archaeological study along the route was made, recording the significant archaeological sites falling within the route that are at risk of being affected by the construction works. In the course of the route, potential archaeological sites, such as prehistoric settlements, mound necropolis, antique settlements, etc., have been identified for exploration. The project company has launched this public procurement to obtain methodological and scientific support for their conservation.

The list of sites for which rescue excavations are to be carried out, as well as the prescribed conservation measures, are indicative. From the list of sites identified, those for which the lack of archaeological structures and a cultural layer is established or new archaeological sites registered during the archaeological observation of excavation works for the IGB gas pipeline may be dropped. It is possible in the course of the activities to establish that the realization of the construction does not affect in the envisaged way the respective site. ICGB determines that the selected contractor will carry out complete rescue archaeological excavations of registered archaeological sites until the completion of the excavation work on the IGB pipeline.

ICGB will grant unlimited, complete, free and direct electronic access to the documentation for the public procurement from the date of publication of the announcement in the Official Journal of the European Union on the grounds of art. 32, para 1, item 1 of the Public Procurement Act (PPA). The decision and the contract notice are published at the Registry of Public Procurement to the Public Procurement Agency, as well as at the buyer’s profile of the Contracting Entity on the day of their publication pursuant to Article 24, Para 1, Item 1 of the Rules for Implementing the Public Procurement Act.

The listed above documents will be available at web address: http://www.icgb.eu/buyers-profile/public-procurement-procedures/ – at the Buyer’s profile. The whole documentation is available in English language in the English version of the Buyer’s profile at the website of the Contracting Entity.

ICGB makes special efforts to preserve the cultural and historical heritage on the territory of Bulgaria and Greece and will take all necessary measures to ensure that the sites on the pipeline route are not affected or endangered by the construction activities.

Date 21/04/2018