13-09-2021
EPSO-G’s UAB Tetas to construct a physical barrier at the border with Belarus during the first phase
The construction of the physical barrier on the most important, approximately 111-kilometer-long border sections with Belarus will be performed by UAB Tetas, a company of the EPSO-G group. The decision was approved by the Project Supervision Commission headed by the Prime Minister. On Monday, the Commission approved the essential terms of the contract with UAB Tetas. During the implementation of the first stage of the project, in the second half of September, UAB Tetas is to start works in the sections near Druskininkai and the frontier stations of A. Barauskas and Adutiškis, as they are exposed to the threats of irregular migration most.
The contract with UAB Tetas stipulates that the company will install a physical barrier in the 111-kilometre-long border area for approximately EUR 30 million net of VAT (EUR 36.3 million including VAT), including design, materials, construction, and other related works, in compliance with the terms of reference provided by the State Border Guard Service (SBGS). Under the contract, the works shall be completed no later than on 30 April 2022.
UAB Tetas was selected to carry out construction works during the first phase in accordance with the provisions of the law adopted by the Seimas in August, in consideration of the need to start the project as soon as possible. The company, which has many years of experience in implementing infrastructure projects, employs approximately 400 specialists with all the required qualifications to perform the work. Furthermore, as a state-owned company, UAB Tetas does not need an additional assessment of compliance with national security interests, thus speeding up project implementation.
The total length of the physical barrier at the border with Belarus will be under 500 kilometres. Its exact length will become clear during the design and construction works. The wall will not be built in boglands or other areas that are inaccessible due to complex natural conditions. The total length of the Belarus–Lithuania border is 679 kilometres; more than 100 kilometres of the border run along the banks of rivers and lakes, where no physical barrier is intended.
In preparation for the second phase of the construction of the approximately 400-kilometres-long physical barrier, last week EPSO-G published in the Central Public Procurement Information System the main conditions for the procurement of the physical barrier construction services for the second phase, including a technical specification drafted by the SBGS together with EPSO-G.
Following completion of the market consultation procedure aimed at obtaining comprehensive feedback from market participants, the procurement documents will be finalised, and the procurement of construction works for the second phase of the physical barrier will be announced in the second half of September. At the end of September, the contract will be presented to the Project Supervision Commission and, following its consent, contracts will be signed with a number of companies that will be able to carry out the work within the set deadlines.
Back in July, the Asset Management and Economy Department under the Ministry of the Interior (AMED), authorised by the SBGS, launched a complex procurement to deploy a pyramid concertina wire on the border section with Belarus. The maximum cost of covering the section, including all materials and works, would reach EUR 32 million. The procurement conditions stipulate that preliminary contracts will be concluded for each part of the procurement, and the goods and works will be purchased according to the actual need. At present, it is already known that the actual need will be lower, as Lithuania has received international assistance. Part of the required concertina has been donated by Estonia and Ukraine, and the work in the sections most crossed by migrants was expeditiously done by Lithuanian soldiers and Fire and Rescue Department officials.
Almost 30 potential suppliers have submitted offers for the procurement launched by the AMED. Suppliers are competing for the supply of component sets and performance of works in different parts of the procurement. Preliminary contracts will be concluded with all eligible suppliers, and then suppliers will compete with each other for each specific order. Following evaluation of the proposals, execution of preliminary contracts will be entrusted to EPSO-G, the company responsible for the implementation of the project.
Project Supervision Commission is headed by the Prime Minister and includes the Minister of the Interior, Minister of Energy, Minister of National Defence, Minister of Environment, Minister of Finance, SBGS Commander, Head of the State Territorial Planning and Construction Inspectorate, and a representative of the Project Promoter, EPSO-G.