Tatarstan looking for contractor for second stage of pilot zone to test unmanned cars

As Realnoe Vremya found out, despite a tender for the design and estimate documentation and setting up the first stage of a pilot zone for experiments and approval of smart transport systems providing highly automated transport vehicles on common roads banned by the Anti-Monopoly Service, Tatarstan is looking for a contractor for the second stage of the site. Nearly 8.4 million rubles less than for the failed procurement are ready to be paid for works. Read more in Realnoe Vremya’s report.

34 million for second stage

The plans for creating a pilot zone to test highly automated transport systems in Tatarstan became known in 2022. Alabuga Special Economic Zone and Road Traffic Safety signed an agreement at Kazan Digital Week international forum. Almost five months later, on 3 February 2023, the Tatarstan Ministry of Road and Transport and ROSDORNII signed an agreement on the creation of a pilot zone to provide the possibility of doing experiments and approving smart transport system technologies.

The document envisages works to connect technological equipment of the pilot zone to external communication and electrical supply networks at Alabuga SEZ. All types and models of highly automated vehicles (HAVs), their interaction with the road and transport infrastructure, systems of precise location and digital dynamic traffic map are planned to be tested on its roads. So the optimal and best technologies providing the traffic of HAVs in real road conditions are due to be chosen.

A bit more than 34 million, which are ready to be invested from the republican budget in the second stage of the pilot zone in Yelabuga District, Tatarstan, are linked with the highway Yelabuga — Gari — Abalach. Electrical supply and data transmission networks are scheduled to be laid on an area of 3km long until 22 November 2023.

The documentation reads that the solutions used to set up the pilot zone will “allow significantly increasing safety in this segment of the road.” The construction of the designed site doesn’t need to be divided into stages, it is planned to be launched in 2023.

Violation when trying to sign a contract on the first stage for 42 million

In late December 2022, Road Traffic Safety announced a tender for design and estimate documentation and setting up the first stage of the pilot zone to provide the possibility of doing experiments and approval of technologies providing the traffic of highly automated vehicles on common roads in Yelabuga District, Tatarstan. The starting price of the contract was 42,45 million rubles. Tozelesh Construction Organisation that offered the sum announced by Road Traffic Safety for its services was chosen as winner.

However, the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service banned the definition of the supplier after an unscheduled inspection. It was carried out from 24 to 30 January 2023 according to a petition of RK-Group to check the legality of the tender. In its letter sent to the Tatarstan office of the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service, the company asked it to check the documentation on the electronic tender, including to determine the requirements for participants and their qualification and oblige Road Traffic Safety to specify types of works that would be done as confirmation of the participant’s experience as analogous and corresponding to the contract.

The case is that RK-Group analysed the documentation of the tender and concluded that the assessment of participants’ applications from a perspective of qualification, including the availability of money and owned equipment or another legal foundation, work experience related to the contract and business reputation, specialists and other workers of certain qualification was not correct. The company indicated that additional requirements of Road Traffic Safety had nothing to do with the subject of the contract comparable with the contract subject.

“In additional requirements, the client demand experience in executing the agreements during road repairs and maintenance words and experience of agreement execution in smart transport systems in the provision of the assessment of applications,” RK-Group noted.

After the unscheduled inspection, FAS came to a conclusion that “the claimant’s arguments do not find confirmation.” However, the workers of the service anyway detected a number of violations — Road Traffic Safety didn’t make a requirement for tender participants to provide a proof from the registry of members of the self-regulated organisation in architecture and construction regulation as part of the application.

So the Tatarstan office of FAS acknowledged Road Traffic Safety violated the requirements in Part 5 Article 31 and Clause 12, Part One Article 42 of the federal law No. 44 On Contract System in Procurement of Goods, Works and Services for Public and Municipal Needs. The organisation was issued a warning to eliminate the violations.

It should be noted that not Road Traffic Safety but Glavavtodortrans is the client of the second stage of the pilot zone for experiments and approval of smart transport system technologies providing the traffic of highly automated vehicles on common roads.