Highway toll services

Tender description

The Norwegian Public Roads Administration, User Financing Section, signed a contract with Euro Parking Collection plc (EPC) on 20.4.2016, on behalf of the toll road companies in Norway. The contract is for the provision of services from EPC for the collection of toll money from foreign vehicles that pass Norwegian toll stations without a valid agreement (foreign debt collection). The contract for foreign debt collection expires on 30.5.2020. The companies see that there is a need for the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to extend the contract with EPC for up to 12 months. The reason for the extension is the unfortunate concurrence between the procurement of new systems to replace the Norwegian Public Roads Administration's existing central system, the next procurement of foreign debt collection, as well as the separation of issuing tag activities from the regional toll companies. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration, User Financing Section, signed a contract with Euro Parking Collection plc (EPC) on 20.4.2016, on behalf of the toll road companies in Norway. The contract is for the provision of services from EPC for the collection of toll money from foreign vehicles that pass Norwegian toll stations without a valid agreement (foreign debt collection). The contract for foreign debt collection expires on 30.5.2020. The companies see that there is a need for the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to extend the contract with EPC for up to 12 months. The reason for the extension is the unfortunate concurrence between the procurement of new systems to replace the Norwegian Public Roads Administration's existing central system and the next procurement of foreign debt collection. Furthermore, after the adoption of the issuer regulations, the regional toll road companies will separate the issuing of tag activities. Both processes are ongoing and the system transition is expected to be implemented during the first 5 months of 2020. The toll road companies see major challenges connected to the transition to new systems at the same time that existing contracts expire simultaneously. The toll road companies need predictability for implementation and tests of related processes, such as debt collection, distribution of invoices and foreign debt collection. It is also vital that the issuing of tags activity and accompanying support process can be separated in a controlled and value-generative manner that is not affected by other processes. The toll road companies consider it to be inappropriate and not socio-economically responsible to announce a contest for the procurement of services for foreign debt collection in the temporary phase until a new system for the collection of road tolls is in place. Any new supplier would have to carry out a comprehensive integration process with both old and new industry and support systems, including systems that will be phased out. The toll road companies consider that, in reality, only the current supplier would be able to submit a tender to the toll road companies for the contract period 31.5.2020 until the new contract starts in 2021. The toll road companies have, thus, asked the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to assess whether there is the legal basis to make a change (extension) to the existing contract for foreign debt collection, cf. the public procurement regulations § 28-1 first section, letter d).