VAS ‘Valsts nekustamie īpašumi’ has announced an open competitive dialogue procedure for assessing and selecting potential contractors to building the first 57 km long priority section of a fence as part of the Latvia–Russia border security infrastructure project.
‘This competitive dialogue procedure is a step towards implementing a project that will improve the effectiveness of security on the Latvian eastern border, protecting the territorial integrity of the country and the safety of its people. The security and territorial integrity of Latvia must undoubtedly be our main priorities. Our experience with the Latvia–Belarus border so far gives us an understanding of the steps we need to take. With it, we can efficiently plan the construction of border security infrastructure on the Russian border and implement this construction with competent partner, thus bolstering our national security in an effective and timely manner,’ Renārs Griškevičs reported.
The competitive dialogue procedure is intended for the construction of the first 57 km long priority section of a fence spanning the Krivanda Border Guard Division (BGD) and the Aizgārša BGD. The procedure will take place via the Mercell system, available to all potential bidders interested in joining this project and meeting the criteria set in the procedure’s regulations.
The currently constructed border zone infrastructure spans some 230 km and includes patrol tracks (with planked footways, woodchip-surface paths, natural soil-surface paths, and culvert) and four suspended cable bridges. A fence is built over about 99 km.
The technical specifications for the project will be issued to potential candidates that meet the reputation criteria and comply with the competitive dialogue regulations. VNĪ is interested in achieving top-quality performance as part of the project and looks forward to working with competent contractors. The maximum deadline for completing the contract is 52 calendar weeks after its conclusion.
For more details about competitive dialogue procedure VNĪ/2023/CA-290 ‘Development of necessary documentation for the implementation of the construction plan for a fence on the Krivanda BGD and Aizgārša BGD sections of the national border between the Republic of Latvia and the Russian Federation, and the construction of the fence’, visit www.mercell.com. The application deadline is 12 September 2023.
The national border between Latvia and Russia is 283.6 kilometres long. The current priority is to build the existing infrastructure and finish the construction of the border fence. The construction will take place in multiple stages. The fence is expected to be completed by the end of 2024, whereas the construction of the rest of the infrastructure is to continue until 2025. Currently, some 180 kilometres of fencing and 53 kilometres of border security infrastructure are still to be set up on the Latvia–Russia border. Forests have been cleared over a significant part of the border zone next to the Russian border, making it possible to speed up the construction of the fence.
Given the prior experience developing border infrastructure on the Latvia–Belarus border, it is planned to study wild animal trails in the vicinity of the border zone by the end of September. This will enable planning for animal-friendly solutions, if any should be necessary.
Implementation of the Eastern Border Construction Project is supervised by the Outer Border Infrastructure Construction Supervisory Committee, which consists of representatives from the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Economics, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development, State Border Guard, Provision State Agency, VAS ‘Latvijas Valsts radio un televīzijas centrs’, AS ‘Latvijas Valsts meži’, Latvian Geospatial Information Agency and the National Armed Forces.
VNĪ currently successfully works on the implementation 44 national-scale projects, 24 of which are in their construction stage. The total implementation budget of the projects exceeds EUR 336 million. VNĪ provides professional real estate management and maintenance for 371 building and structure properties, comprising 1007 buildings with a total area of 0.97 million m2, as well as land beneath structures with a total area of 607 ha, and 3404 land properties with a total area of 883 ha. VNĪ is one of 17 Latvian companies that received the highest platinum award in the Institute for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability's Sustainability Index 2023, demonstrating good governance and sustainability of its operations. The company was founded in 1996 and the Ministry of Finance is its sole shareholder.
