Slovakia Replaces Hungarian Contractors on Prešov Hospital with Team Slovakia

Due to problems with low-quality concrete, the state withdrew from a €448m contract for the construction of the Prešov hospital with the Hungarian consortium West Hungária, Confector, and Magyar Épitő last week, Defense Minister Robert Kaliňák announced. He immediately launched a tender for a part of the hospital with an expected price of €280m and signed a €259m contract for work to be carried out until the new tender is completed. This contract, without any tender, was awarded to In Vest, Metrostav, Skanska, Strabag, and Hornex. The hospital's construction is thus likely to cost nearly €100m more than originally expected. According to Kaliňák, this is "economical" compared to the delay that a standard public procurement would cause. He added that 23 of the 276 pillars built so far will need to be removed. He will seek damages from the Hungarian consortium. (sme.sk)

                    The Hungarian firms want to continue the construction, claiming that addressing the low‑quality concrete issue is neither time‑consuming nor financially demanding.

(pravda.sk)