USPA Focuses on the Improvement of Dredging Tender Procedures

Ukrainian Seaports Authority (USPA) has just announced that the company is working on a new document which should improve dredging tender procedures in the country.

The announcement was made earlier this week during a meeting with the dredging companies, attended by the representatives of DEME, Royal Boskalis Westminster, Jan De Nul, Tianjin Dredging Company, Rohde Nielsen and Ilk Construction.

“We are ‘restarting’ our relations with the dredging companies and this presentation is yet another step aimed at increase the transparency and openness of the tender procedures,” said Raivis Veckagans, Acting Head of USPA, during the opening speech.

According to the announcement, the working group consisting of USPA experts, EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) and the law firm Arzinger has developed the new document, which meets the world’s best practices in dredging.

Andrey Selyutin, the Head of South Ukrainian branch of the law firm Arzinger said that new draft agreement reflects the conditions of the model contract of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) and meets the requirements of Ukrainian legislation.

During the meeting, the newly prescribed USPA’s contractual obligations (payment terms and order, clear warranty policy, penalties, risk insurance etc.) in terms of capital and operational dredging at the seaports of Yuzhny and Chornomorsk were also discussed.

“Dredging works in Yuzhny and Chornomorsk seaports are really massive, with a total budget of approx. $350 million. Out of this amount, some $61 million will be spent in 2017 and the same amount in 2018. Given the amounts to be invested and the unprecedented importance of the projects we should do our best to ensure quality, clear and understandable dredging process,” concluded Raivis Veckagans.