ZAGREB, 8 Jan 2022 - A public procurement procedure for the post-earthquake reconstruction of the government building has been paused because a complaint has been filed against project documentation, Jutarnji List daily said on Saturday.
This will slow down the HRK 155-million-worth seismic retrofitting and reconstruction project co-financed by the EU Solidarity Fund. The EU money must be spent by the end of June, unless the European Commission makes an exception and extends the deadline.
HRK 61.5 million from the Solidarity Fund is envisaged for project documentation and the protection of the government building and a seismic retrofitting agreement has been signed.
The government expects works on the building to begin in a month and that the complaint will not slow down the project significantly, Culture Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek was quoted as saying by the daily, adding that in planning the project, they took into account the possibility of complaints.
She said she was confident the money from the Solidarity Fund would be fully utilised.
The government invited bids for the reconstruction of its headquarters in St. Mark's Square on 19 November. The deadline for submitting them was 28 December but it was extended until 5 January because the procurement documentation was changed on 22 December to include conservation guidelines.
