Cheaper M6 operation? According to MKIF, the tenders cannot be compared without the technical details

MKIF Magyar Koncessziós Infrastruktúra Fejlesztő Zrt. issued a statement in response to the government’s announcement regarding the future operation of the M6 motorway. The Company has not received official notification of the decision from the Ministry of Transport and Investment; it learnt of it from the press, but, as it states: „as before, within the framework of the legislation in force, we remain open to any technical consultations with the Hungarian State, which is granting the concession.”

In an open tender, MKIF undertook to carry out multiple refurbishments of the entire section of track

„Our company always acts, in all circumstances, in accordance with the legislation in force and the contract concluded with the Hungarian State, and has acted accordingly in relation to the M6 motorway.

MKIF Zrt. rejects any claim or interpretation that gives the impression that our Company obtained operational or other responsibilities unlawfully, or that its activities caused damage to the Hungarian State. ”Our company submitted a tender for the operation of the relevant section of the M6 motorway as part of an open public procurement procedure,” they write.

The refurbishment of bridges, rest areas and junction branches is also part of contract MKIF

In the open public procurement procedure, participants were invited to submit tenders for the highest standard of operational services and for the complete refurbishment of the entire section of the railway on multiple occasions; this includes, in addition to operational tasks, the refurbishment of bridges, rest areas and the entire track structure, as well as the junction branches.

„We are not aware of any other public procurement procedure of this kind that allows the public to examine and compare the technical specifications. Our company was not asked to submit a tender with technical specifications comparable to those of the previous foreign-owned concession operator or to the Magyar Közút Nonprofit Zrt. tender.”

Without the same terms and conditions, it is not possible to determine which offer is more favourable

The figures and data published in the press regarding operating costs and alleged overpricing can only be compared if they relate to the same technical specifications, service standards, timeframe, financing conditions and risk exposure; in the absence of these, no genuine, substantiated conclusions can be drawn – emphasises the Communications Directorate of MKIF.

A simple comparison of the costs of the different designs presented on Friday does not provide an accurate picture from a technical perspective; in the absence of technical evidence, it is liable to mislead, as the press reports do not reveal what specific technical details the various operating costs presented actually entail.

According to MKIF, it acted lawfully

MKIF Zrt. continues to regard the fulfilment of its contractual obligations as its primary task, Our company remains focused on operating and developing the expressway network under its management safely, in accordance with the contract and to a high professional standard, and on carrying out the tasks it has undertaken in accordance with the provisions of the Concession Agreement.

Our company does not wish to become involved in political debates; we regard our role as fulfilling our contractual obligations and providing a safe, high-quality service to passengers.