What does the new complaint mean for a major Czech train tender, and when may a bid be clarified after submission?
Competition authority opens a new case
The Czech Office for the Protection of Competition has opened first-instance administrative proceedings following a further complaint by Swiss train maker Stadler. The complaint concerns České dráhy’s tender for up to 133 electric trains, valued at 84 billion Czech koruna, for regional routes in Prague and the Central Bohemian Region. Stadler alleges that the state railway allowed the winning bidder, Škoda Group, to change its offer after the binding submission of bids. The authority said the complaint points to a possible material change in the selected supplier’s offer. No breach has been established. If the suspicion is confirmed, the authority could overturn the winner’s selection or cancel the competition.
České dráhy says the contact was permitted
České dráhy acknowledges that it communicated with the Škoda Transportation and Škoda Vagonka consortium after final offers were submitted, but says the exchange complied with procurement law. Spokeswoman Vanda Rajnochová cited Section 46 of Act No. 134/2016 on public procurement, describing the process as clarification and completion of the final offer. The railway says the discussion concerned only technical details and formal or linguistic ambiguities, so that it could confirm how the supplier’s wording should be understood. It denies that the offer was materially changed. This distinction is central: clarification may resolve uncertainty, while an impermissible revision could affect equal treatment of bidders.
The tender remains under procedural pressure
Stadler had already challenged the competition in July, alleging an unusually low price, a failure of the winning offer to meet the tender conditions and an incorrect handling of its objections. The authority rejected that earlier complaint, but the decision is not yet final. A preliminary measure still prevents České dráhy from signing a contract with the selected supplier. Škoda Group and Stadler did not comment on the new complaint. The wider rail procurement landscape is also substantial: České dráhy won a separate competition to operate trains in Prague and the Central Bohemian Region for the next 30 years with an offer of 165 billion Czech koruna, while RegioJet also bid.
IN NUMBERS
The new proceedings will test whether the post-submission exchange stayed within the lawful boundary between clarifying a bid and materially changing it. Until the authority reaches a final decision, Škoda Group’s selection remains subject to legal uncertainty and the contract cannot be signed under the existing preliminary measure.
Reported from seznamzpravy.cz, 2026-10-15. The Tender Wire is published by Otnox.
