Mercedes Benz challenges the auction for RATB buses, won by the association of OTOKAR EUROPE and OTOKAR Automotive

Mercedes Benz Romania has filed an appeal to the National Council for Settlement of Complaints on Wednesday, capital.ro informs.

Gabriela Firea, Mayor General of Bucharest, announced late February that the winner of the auction for the delivery of 400 new Euro 6 buses to the capital city is the association of OTOKAR EUROPE and OTOKAR Automotive. The value of the contract is of about EUR 100 million.

In the coming period the outcome of the auction can be challenged, hotnews.com informed at the time.

OTOKAR Europe and OTOKAR Automotive are Turkish companies that are part of the Koç Holding conglomerate, Turkey’s largest industrial conglomerate. The OTOKAR buses factory is located in Sarkaya.

“We want 300 buses to be delivered in the next year,” the mayor said.

Four offers were submitted to the auction from:

KARSAN OTOMOTIV SANAYI IN TICARET A.S.

MAN TRUCK & BUS AG

MERCEDES BENZ ROMANIA SRL

OTOKAR EUROPE

Initially, the contract was estimated at about RON 510.5 million, VAT excluded, for a period of four years and involved the acquisition of 320 buses 12 meters long with a minimum capacity of 96 passengers, 50 buses with a length of 10 meters and a minimum capacity of 70 passengers, as well as 30 articulated buses, 18 meters long, with a minimum capacity of 135 passengers.