Luxembourg–American company Corporación América Airports (CAAP) has filed a complaint with the Government of Montenegro’s Concessions Commission, expressing dissatisfaction with the latest decision of the Tender Commission in the repeated evaluation procedure, in which the South Korean company Incheon was once again ranked as the top bidder, Pobjeda has learned.
On 12 November, the Ministry of Transport published a new ranking of bidders for the concession of Montenegro’s airports, prepared by the Tender Commission. The list is identical to the original one officially released on 17 July. South Korea’s Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) received 96.18 points, while CAAP ranked second with 65.15 points.
Transport Minister Maja Vukićević recently told Pobjeda that the ministry has thirty days to submit documentation to the Government for review and a final decision. However, this timeframe depends on whether any bidder files an objection with the Government’s Concessions Commission.
Deficiencies in the procedure
CAAP argues that the Tender Commission failed to address the deficiencies identified in the initial procedure, despite being obliged to do so. They also claim the Commission did not act in accordance with the instructions issued by the Concessions Commission and did not provide an independent and detailed explanation of each member’s vote.
According to CAAP, individual voting must be ensured.
They emphasize that the analyses and reports prepared by IFC were produced before the first evaluation—an evaluation which CAAP firmly believes was the only lawful one. At that time, CAAP’s offer was ranked first with 85 points, while IIAC received 79.7 points. Instead of conducting a new assessment, CAAP claims the Tender Commission copied IFC’s previous report rather than carrying out its own lawful evaluation and providing justification for the decision.
CAAP describes this approach as absurd and contrary to all relevant laws. They stress that full transparency is essential for evaluating and verifying the entire tender process.
In this context, the company insists that all communication between the Tender Commission and IFC be examined, as well as the circumstances of an alleged intervention by the executive branch. According to unofficial information, Montenegro’s Prime Minister Milojko Spajić reportedly attended one of the Tender Commission meetings and requested a new evaluation.
CAAP maintains that they must have access to all recorded minutes, not only those selected by the authorities. The company states it will continue to pursue the truth and the legality of the process with full determination.
They argue that they should have been ranked first in both procedures and will persist in defending their rights.
The role of IFC
IFC was engaged as an advisor to the Government of Montenegro under an agreement to support the concession process for the airports. IFC is an international financial institution within the World Bank Group, with extensive experience providing advisory services on public–private partnerships, including airport and aviation-sector concessions.
In early September, the Government’s Concessions Commission partially upheld CAAP’s initial complaint regarding the ranking of bidders for the Podgorica and Tivat airport concessions. As a result, the final decision on whether and when Montenegro’s airports would be awarded under a long-term concession was postponed until the Government received a revised explanation from the Tender Commission.
Transport Minister Maja Vukićević recently told Pobjeda that the offers submitted in the concession tender could have been significantly better. She believes Montenegro has the capacity to develop its airports and aviation sector independently, and that the state has already demonstrated it can operate the airports effectively in previous years.
