Noisy announcements, visualizations, designs... and unknowns about implementation. A number of the planned investments in Warsaw's public spaces have collided with reality at the bidding stage. In almost every case, the funds set aside by the city are insufficient.
Chmielna
Chmielnawill be beautified, Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski announced at the end of May, announcing a tender for the renovation of one of the most neglected streets in downtown Warsaw. It is also one of the few pedestrian streets in the city, or something that pretends to be a pedestrian zone. Perpetually cluttered with cars and garden landings, it does not give the impression of being pedestrian-friendly. Add to that vacant lots, vandalized tenements and graffiti.
At least part of this picture was supposed to be significantly improved with the redevelopment, the design of which was selected in an architectural competition in 2021. Tree rows, lots of greenery and places for relaxation, and striking lighting are the most important changes proposed by the authors from the RS Landscape Architecture studio .
Visualization of Chmielna Street
RS Architektura Krajobrazu / UM Warszawa
Officials have set aside 25 million zlotys for the work. This amount includes the reconstruction of Chmielna Street (PLN 20.5 million) and a section of Bracka Street (PLN 4.5 million). The cheapest bid for the first part was submitted by Balzola, amounting to PLN 22 million. For the Bracka fragment, the same contractor expects PLN 5.4 million. The second-ranked Adrog Bracka was priced slightly lower - at PLN 4.6 million. But the reconstruction of Chmielna Street, according to this contractor, would cost PLN 32.5 million. Thus, none of the bids falls within the budget.
Visualization of Chmielna Street
RS Architektura Krajobrazu / UM Warszawa
So the city has two options - it can cancel the tender and announce a new one. It is more likely, however, that in an election year the City Council will allocate additional, missing funds and work will begin later this year, according to City Hall's announcements.
Visualization of Chmielna Street
RS Architektura Krajobrazu / UM Warszawa
TR
The situation with preparations for the construction of the new TR headquarters, which will be located between the Museum of Modern Art underconstruction and the Palace of Culture and Science, isalso alarming. The black box designed by Thomas Phifer is to have one of the most modern theater halls in Europe, and its walls are to open to two sides - Swietokrzyski Park and the Central Square, which is under construction.
Visualization of the TR headquarters
Thomas Phifer / TR
Only after TR is built will the MSN project be judged as finished. The buildings are, by the way, functionally linked - without the Theater, the Museum will not be able to make deliveries via the ramp, which is to run right under its neighbor's building.
Visualization of Central Square
A-A Collective
The Warsaw Council allocated PLN 281 million for the construction of the theater in December 2021 - twice as much as originally planned. Unfortunately, none of the only two bids submitted in the tender falls within this limit. What's more - the contractors' valuations are higher than those of the ordering party. Doraco proposes to build the theater for PLN 643 million. Mostostal Warszawa valued the work at PLN 788 million - half a billion more than the city had planned.
Visualization of the TR headquarters
Thomas Phifer / TR
Contractors reported problems with the criteria, feasibility and complexity of the designed solutions, provisions of the tender. According to the bidders, the rules for evaluating bids were supposed to be non-transparent. These allegations are refuted by the theater itself, pointing out that high requirements do not necessarily mean unfeasibility, and that the procedure adopted is to ensure high quality results.
Due to the exceptional requirements for this investment, it was decided to select the contractor by competitive dialogue, a mode that allows for discussion of both technical and contractual issues related to construction. The contracting authority required interested companies to demonstrate the potential necessary for the proper execution of the contract - dialogue cannot be held with an unlimited number of potential contractors. The claim of "idiotic prequalification" must be based on ignorance of this mode.
TR's position
As for the price of materials and the volatility of budgets (as can be observed at the neighboring MSN construction site), TR assures that it has taken this into account. This is to be evidenced, among other things, by a valorization clause based largely on steel prices. What's next for the construction? TR is analyzing and discussing with the city the financing of the project - whether the theater will be built will most likely become clear in the coming weeks.
Congress Hall
A similar epic of price changes, successive tenders and endless work is the Congress Hall. The tender for the resumption of the renovation and reconstruction of the famous Hall in the Palace of Culture in 2022 has not been awarded. Closed since 2016, it is undergoing a major renovation. Initially, the cost of the work was estimated at 40 million zlotys. In 2022, it was already reserved for this purpose... PLN 245 million. And even this amount turned out to be insufficient - the cheapest bid reached 368 million zlotys. The tender was cancelled, and the budget for the new one was set at PLN 375 million.
Visualization of the Congress Hall after renovation
UM Warsaw
Kacper Kępiński
