The procurement procedure has been launched to select a contractor for the “hydrotechnical infrastructure of the MOLF for the purposes of the EJ1 project at the Lubiatowo–Kopalino location” – a dedicated marine off-loading pier intended to handle the delivery of components for the construction of Poland’s first nuclear power plant. The contracting authority and investor is the Urząd Morski w Gdyni.

The MOLF (Marine Off-Loading Facility) will comprise a one-kilometre pier structure elevated approximately five metres above mean sea level. It will constitute a critical element of enabling infrastructure for the nuclear power development in the Pomeranian region. According to the project brief, the facility will be designed to accommodate heavy and oversized cargo operations using both Ro-Ro (roll-on/roll-off) and Lo-Lo (lift-on/lift-off) handling technologies.

The preparation of the design documentation was awarded in August 2024 to a consortium of Wuprohyd and Ingeo. The current phase concerns the selection of the main works contractor responsible for the execution of construction works.

The scope of works includes, inter alia, capital dredging to establish the future manoeuvring basin and turning circle. The contractor will also be required to locate and recover ferromagnetic objects from the seabed, as well as implement protective measures for coastal dunes and designated Natura 2000 areas.

In the procurement documentation, the Urząd Morski w Gdyni states that partial bids will not be accepted, as the contract has not been subdivided due to its uniform and integrated nature. The subject matter of the contract is of critical importance to a strategic investment from the perspective of national security. Maintaining a single, unified contract structure is intended to mitigate execution risk arising from coordination challenges and the management of multiple contractors. This does not, however, preclude the appointed contractor from subcontracting specific key tasks.

The contracting authority has further determined that the procedure will be conducted as a negotiated procedure with prior publication of a contract notice. At the present stage, interested parties are not submitting bids, but rather requests to participate in the procedure. The deadline for submission of such requests is 4 march at 10:00 a.m., while clarification questions may be submitted until 20 February.

Following the deadline, the contracting authority will review the applications and assess whether the applicants meet the qualification criteria. In the subsequent phase, shortlisted contractors will be invited to submit initial tenders. At that stage, they will receive the full Terms of Reference (Specification of Contract Conditions) and the technical documentation. The tender must include a gross price for contract execution.

If the contracting authority elects not to conclude the procedure at that stage – which it reserves the right to do – negotiations will be conducted with the bidders. Thereafter, participants will be invited to submit final tenders, from which the most economically advantageous offer will be selected. The contract will then be awarded on that basis.

The sole award criterion for this project is price, weighted at 100%. Full details of the procedure are available on the procurement platform of the Urząd Morski w Gdyni.