Rail Baltica joint venture RB Rail AS has recently announced a two-stage competitive tender for the consolidated multi-year sourcing of more than €200 million worth of railway turnouts (high-speed & conventional) and expansion joints as well as a separate procurement exercise for the delivery of the sleepers with fastening systems and under sleeper pads, amounted to roughly €150 million. These announcements are the next significant milestone towards launching large-scale construction works in all three Baltic countries for the Rail Baltica mainline.
“When working on the supply of the consolidated materials, including but not only rails, sleepers, cable ducts, expansion joints, noise walls and fencing and other materials, we foresee the opportunity to procure and if needed stock the required materials according to the market situation and trends as well as leverage on the economies of scale. Additionally, by agreeing with the material producers in the long-term and appropriately planning deliveries, it is possible to plan better and smooth out the potential negative effects of the market price fluctuations on the construction costs as well. This approach also provides a certain continuity of business to the suppliers and allows us to build good and sustainable cooperation with them,” explains Kristjan Piirsalu, RB Rail AS Chief Procurement Officer.
The planned date of the submission of the applications for the consolidated material procurement
- Turnouts and Rail Expansion Joints: qualification application deadline on 12 August 2021;
- Sleepers, Rail Fasteners and Under Sleeper Pads: qualification application deadline on 25 August 2021.
“Considering the scope of these launched tenders, we do hope for many qualitative proposals from across the industry and countries. This is truly a great opportunity for suppliers, providing much needed trust into business continuity during these uncertain economic times,” adds Piirsalu.
More information about the public tenders and the procedure is available on the official Rail Baltica website www.railbaltica.org.