Public procurement notice: Contract Award Notice
Published: 2024-11-05
Buyer: Port of Hirtshals
Country: DK
Region: DK050
Contract type: Works
Procedure: Negotiated with prior call for competition
CPV classification: 45112600 | 45221111 | 45241000: Harbour construction work | 45241100 | 45243200
Estimated value: 145000000 EUR
Award criteria: price, quality
EU fund: eu-funds

Technical requirements: The tender is conducted as a negotiated procedure in accordance with Directive 2014/25/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on procurement procedures for water, energy, transport and postal services and subsequent amendments (the Utilities Directive) as implemented by Executive Order no. 1624 of 15 December 2015 on procurement procedures for water, energy, transport and postal services (the "Implementation Order"). 
The tender process means that the process is divided into two phases: a prequalification phase (phase 1) and a bidding phase (phase 2). The tender process will therefore mainly include the following activities: 
1. Companies can apply for prequalification based on the contract notice. 
2. Based on the prequalification applications received, 3-4 companies are prequalified to submit initial offers. 
3. The prequalified companies submit initial offers. 
4. After the tender deadline, and based on the initial offers, Port of Hirtshals will make an award decision or, alternatively, Port of Hirtshals will decide to enter into negotiations.  
5. If Port of Hirtshals initiates negotiations, Port of Hirtshals negotiates with the tenderers on the basis of their initial offer. 
6. After the negotiation process is completed, the tenderers submit a final offer, after which Port of Hirtshals awards the turnkey contract to the tenderer who has submitted the offer that reflects the best price-quality ratio. 
A prerequisite for being able to submit an offer - and thus participate in phase 2 of the tender procedure (points 3-6 above) - is that the company has applied to be prequalified and that Port of Hirtshals has assessed that the company is eligible. Only the 3-4 most eligible applicants will be invited to submit an offer.
Deadline for application for prequalification is 9 February 2024 at 12:00. Expected notification of selection of applicants is 23 February 2024. Deadline for submission of initial tenders is 30 April 2024 at 12:00. If Port of Hirtshals decides to conduct negotiations mettings, they will expected to be held on 29 May 2024 – 31 May 2024. Expected deadline for submission of final tenders is 6 September 2024. Expected notification of award decision is 7 October 2024.
Note: Port of Hirtshals reserves the right to award the turnkey contract on the basis of the initial offers.
Port of Hirtshals is a public limited port company subject to regulation in the Danish law for harbours called "havneloven". 
Port of Hirtshals currently comprises the following facilities:  
- West harbour at Hirtshals with small ship yard, fishing boats and the fish auction terminal  
- East harbour at Hirtshals with 3 big ferry terminals, big fishing boats with related cold storage facilities and a bigger ship yard.  
Port of Hirtshals has a total area of approximately 1.1 million square metres and is already among the 10 largest ports in Denmark in terms of turnover.  
As a result of the growing transit from and to Norway and the Atlantic area, Port of Hirtshals sees a demand and a need to accommodate bigger vessels calling the harbour and being a harbour towards the North Sea which is challenging in all-weather situations all year around.  
The ambition is to map Port of Hirtshals as a key port in the northern part of Denmark both towards Norway and the Atlantic but also as a suited transit port going in and out of the Baltic Sea. With the improved entrance enabling larger vessels to call the port, it should be a commercial decision to use the port and not a maritime decision, meaning that vessels can enter safely in all-weather all year round.  
Furthermore, the port will develop new logistic areas with long berths with possible Ro-Ro facilities. The port is part of the business Greenport Scandinavia establishing a hub for CO2 storage with storage facilities on land both coming in from emitters around the Baltic Sea but also going out into the end storage below the North Sea.  
In order to meet the need for quay areas and hinterlands as well as to meet existing customers’ needs, Port of Hirtshals wants to carry out a major port expansion to the North. Port of Hirtshals has decided that the overall purpose of the port expansion is:
- To improve maritime access 
- To establish approx. 1,000 m of new efficient quay excl. quay needed to establish the RoRo berths 
- To establish 1 new quay for RoRo berthing but prepared for a second RoRo berth 
- To establish new hinterlands for port-related businesses. 
Port of Hirtshals has prepared a preliminary project that fulfils the overall wishes that Port of Hirtshals has for the port expansion. Reference is made to the project descriptions (PD1-PD6). The tenderer may use this preliminary project as inspiration for the tenderers tender. If the tenderer has suggestions for improvements or needs to minimize construction costs, Port of Hirtshals is not dismissive in relation to this.
It is a requirement that delivery in accordance with the turnkey contract and ABT18 can take place no later than December 2027.
All communication during the tender process must be in Danish or English. 
The tender is conducted electronically using the electronic tendering platform www.udbuddet.dk. The applicant/tenderer must therefore be registered as a licence holder at www.udbuddet.dk in order to participate in the tender. Registration as a licence holder is free of charge. Questions regarding www.udbuddet.dk, including matters relating to registration as a licence holder, must be submitted directly to www.udbuddet.dk via the support function. www.udbuddet.dk's support can be reached by telephone on +45 7022 7007.
The tender material will only be available at www.udbuddet.dk. All inquiries regarding this tender must be submitted in writing via www.udbuddet.dk.
The work must be carried out at the Port of Hirtshals.
In the evaluation of the sub-criterion "Price", Port of Hirtshals will emphasize the total evaluation technical tender price excluding VAT, which is stated in the Form of Bill of Quantities, see Appendix “6. Bill of Quantities”. 
The total evaluation technical tender price is calculated on the basis of the total tender price for the full port expansion as well as the sum of the option prices, i.e. option 1, option 2.1, option 2.2, option 3.1, option 3.2, where the sum of the option prices is included in the total evaluation technical tender price with 75 % of their total value. 
For the purpose of the evaluation of the tender in relation to the sub-criterion "Price", the tenderer must complete and sign Appendix "6. Bill of Quantities" included in the tender documents. The sections in the Form of Bill of Quantities marked in yellow must be completed. All prices in the Form of Bill of Quantities must be stated in DKK excluding VAT. 
Note: An uncompleted record or a completed record with DKK 0 or with characters or letters means that the tenderer will be obliged to provide the services at DKK 0.
When evaluating the sub-criterion "Quality", Port of Hirtshals will emphasize the following sub-subcriteria (weighting in brackets): 
- "Technical quality" (60 %) 
- "Organization and key persons" (20 %) 
- "Timetable and risk management" (20 %).
With the sub-subcriterion "Technical quality" Port of Hirtshals will attach great importance to whether the tenderer’s present drawings and descriptions that provide Port of Hirtshals with reassurance that the technical quality required, according to the minimum requirements as well as the requirements specified in the PD's, especially PD1, PD2, PD3, and PD4, can be achieved.
When evaluating the sub-subcriterion, Port of Hirtshals will emphasize that: 
- The tenderer’s drawings and descriptions for the offered port layout, i.e., the port configuration for quay and pier placements covered by PD1, are well thought out, carefully considered, especially in relation to navigational conditions. 
- The tenderer’s drawings and descriptions for the work covered by PD2 are well thought out, robust, and well-documented, providing Port of Hirtshals with confidence that the existing and new structures can be secured throughout the execution phase. 
- The tenderer’s drawings and the process itself for the work covered by PD3 are well-considered, including providing Port of Hirtshals with confidence that: 
- The tenderer will focus on ongoing erosion and sedimentation during the execution phase. 
- The tenderer will focus on excavation spill during the execution phase. 
- The tenderer will focus on handling and incorporation of various materials, including focusing on Port of Hirtshals and the tenderer’s own criteria for fulfilling PD4 and PD5. 
- The tenderer’s drawings and descriptions for the work covered by PD4 are well thought out, robust, and well-documented, including the tenderer’s ability to provide Port of Hirtshals with confidence that the tenderer understands and can manage the connection between the works covered by PD3 and PD4.
The above is weighted equally in the evaluation of the sub-subcriterion "Technical quality" . 
When evaluating the sub-subcriterion "Organization and key persons", Port of Hirtshals will emphasize that: 
 - The offered key persons have relevant experience, including that the project managers and assistant project managers have in-depth and solid experience from comparable port expansion projects 
- The offered key persons' contribution to the port expansion project is relevant and that the composition of the key persons is optimal in relation to the port expansion project 
- The organization possesses sufficient resources and competencies for the implementation of the port expansion of Port of Hirtshals 
- The project organization possesses sufficient competencies and resources to ensure that the project organization is robust, including that the project organization has experience in managing and coordinating similar port expansion projects 
- The project organization understands and can navigate a project that has political attention 
- The tenderer's approach to working with Port of Hirtshals and its advisors.
The above is weighted equally in the evaluation of the sub-subcriterion "Organization and key persons".
When evaluating the sub-subcriterion "Timetable and risk management", Port of Hirtshals will emphasize that: 
- The tenderer's timetable including milestones being on critical path for the execution of the port expansion project appears realistic, robust and detailed, including that the timetable has well-defined activities and milestones (Note: it is a requirement that delivery in accordance with ABT18 can take place no later than December 2027, cf. the draft turnkey contract and appendix B.1.1, section 2.2) 
- The tenderer's ability to "man up" on the port expansion project, including preventing and catching up on any delays 
- Throughout the project, the tenderer has a special focus on the risks that may occur 
- The tenderer can manage the risks that may occur so that the tenderer consistently focuses on creating progress in the port expansion project, including that the tenderer focuses on preventive and corrective actions to minimize the risks.
The above is weighted equally in the evaluation of the sub-subcriterion "Timetable and risk management".


Winner: Mercell Holding ASA
Number of bids: 2