Rail conquers the Alps

AlpTransit GOTTHARD
A ceremony was
held at Bodio
earlier this year
(above) to mark the
holing-through of a
3·2 km tunnel.
Completed in nine
months, this will
carry spoil away
from the southern
worksite. The 6 km
conveyor belt
linking Bodio with
a disposal area in
the Blenio valley is
now being installed
(below right)
Below: The
southern approach
to the base tunnel
will parallel the
existing Gotthard
main line from
Biasca using a mix
of surface and cutand-cover
European countries submitted tenders
for the two lots.
The tendering concept developed
by AlpTransit Gotthard AG provides
for a comprehensive risk analysis,
assessing the methods and potential
dangers of the work. This is followed
by the specification of preciselydefined
suitability and awarding
criteria. Using these criteria, analysis
and evaluation of the bids is carried
out as the basis for letting the contracts.
The criteria are set out in
detail in the tender documentation in
accordance with federal legislation for
the award of public contracts.
On the basis of the risk analysis
carried out for the Bodio and Faido
lots, the following suitability criteria
were established:
• proof of experience;
• proof of technical, managerial and
staff competence;
• proof of financial standing;
• proof of a quality management
system.
All bidders that submitted tenders
within the deadline are checked for
their fundamental suitability to carry
out the work. Only then are their
bids evaluated for the awarding
criteria.
Risk analysis for the two lots led to
the definition of the following award
criteria:
• deadline guarantees;
• safety of work programme and
working practices;
• worksite organisation;
• fitness for purpose and durability
of the design;
• effects on the environment;
• quality management processes.
The tender documents set out the
details of the evaluation process for
the award criteria, and a threshold
was set based on the award criteria to
serve as a minimum level for contractors
to qualify. Only after this are the
economic elements of a bid and the
tender price assessed.
Clearly the price in absolute terms
cannot be the primary consideration,
although it is of course one of the
most important criteria for choosing
the contractor. Inevitably, with such
complex works over a long period
and numerous risks, price cannot be
the sole deciding factor.
For those holding responsibility at
AlpTransit Gotthard AG, it is vital to
establish if the bidders have made a
sufficiently thorough assessment of
the work, examined the potential
dangers and taken measures necessary
to manage the risks – and to check
that they have integrated all this into
the tender. This philosophy was made
quite plain in the tender documentation
and during worksite inspection
visits for potential contractors.
During evaluation of the tenders we
found, inevitably, that the different
bidders had not given equal weight to
these considerations.
The process concludes with the
award of the contract to the bidder
providing the most cost-effective
tender of those that have qualified by
reaching the awarding criteria
threshold.
The tendering process obviously
demands a great deal from the bidders.
But it was clear right from the
start that the particularly demanding
objectives in the contracts could not
be met simply by basing a decision on
price. Equally important are the
suitability of the contractor, the
technical quality of the bid and how
the contractor proposes to deal with
the risks.
Every assessment carries the risk of
making a wrong choice. To minimise
this, the tenders were evaluated
independently by two team of engineers,
and the teams included specialists
with plenty of experience of
project management and tunnelling.
The results of the independent
reviews were carefully analysed and
compared, and in most cases there
was agreement. In a few instances we
had to clarify different views by
further technical analysis.
This detailed and comprehensive
tendering analysis process is quite
different from the functional specifications
that have found favour
recently in a number of other
European countries. The award
criteria and their weighting are
intended as a measure of the technical
evaluation of the bids. Questions to
be answered include:
• How does the bidder plan to tackle
the work and carry out the various
tasks?
• What concepts and methods have
been chosen to ensure that work is
completed on time, that worksites
are well organised, that working
practices are safe, that the environment
is respected and that quality
is assured in a comprehensive way?
The final step will be analysis and
comparison of the costs. Here the
choice will be made by checking that
the bid has been handled in a professional
way, addressing the fundamental
issues at stake. It is also important
that there is real competition between
the bidders, and there is no doubt
that this was the case for the Bodio
and Faido sections.
On the basis of the contract awarding
process and experience to date,
we believe that there should be no
need for price negotiations in the
traditional sense. ■
844 www.railwaygazette.com Railway Gazette International December 2001