Alpine got job near Dimitrovgrad and froze lawsuit with Serbia? Is Austrian company trying to endanger tender by performing "marketing tricks"?

- The final decision on what company will be building the bypass around Dimitrovgrad and part of the highway to border crossing near Gradina has not been made yet since the tender procedure has not been finished yet - said the people from the Government of Serbia and company Corridor 10, which announced the tender. These reactions followed the announcement of the news that Austrian Alpine wants to freeze the case against our state before the Arbitrary Court in Paris, which was started because the concession contract for Horgoš–Požega highway was terminated after the company was informed that it had won on the tender for construction of the bypass.

This unusual move by the company, which offered the best price of all 12 bidders and declared itself the winner before the official announcement of results, is mainly seen as Alpine's tactical attempt to exert the pressure on the Government of Serbia to make the decision as soon as possible since the bids were opened more than two months ago.

– Formally and legally, the company really gave the best offer. In this way, it is checking if it can get the job, while freezing the case for some time. If nothing comes out of this, its next step will, probably, be to give up the case, provided that it cares for this and many other ongoing works. Because the World Bank, which finances construction of a part of Corridor 10 and defines the rules for announcement of the tender, is relying on the position of the Government of Serbia. That position is, definitely, crucial when it comes to whether Alpine will get the job – says the source of Politika and adds that the World Bank has recently asked the Republic Attorney to supply it with the information on the ongoing disputes between the former concessionaire and the state.

According to Politika's source from the Government, Alpine will withdraw the charges against Serbia and finish the earlier works on time if it really cares for Serbian market. The works that the company has already started are the works on the bridge near Beška, which are three years late, and the main route Nova Varoš-Kokin Brod, which are about one year late.

People in company Corridor 10 are quite surprised. They confirmed that the final selection of the company had not been made yet because everybody waited for the World Bank's opinion. The consequence of this public exposure may be cancellation of the tender procedure by the financier.