Wastewater Collection and Treatment Investment Project in the Municipality of Shtip

The European Commission has issued a call for tenders for the "Wastewater Collection and Treatment Investment Project in the Municipality of Shtip," North Macedonia, identified as EC-NEAR/SKP/2024/EA-OP/0176. This is a public procurement opportunity divided into two lots: Lot 1 involves the design and construction of a wastewater treatment plant for 50,000 population equivalents, and Lot 2 focuses on the construction, rehabilitation, and extension of an approximately 33 km sewerage network, including the construction of four pumping stations and procurement of sewer water cleaning equipment.

The funding supports are provided through the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPARD) meant for candidate and potential candidate countries in the EU. Eligible applicants include construction and engineering firms with the capability to execute the required works, including both large enterprises and potentially small and medium enterprises, although the suitability for SMEs is marked as false. Companies may apply individually or as part of a consortium, with no mandatory consortium requirement specified.

The tender follows EU public procurement rules, and the submission method is non-electronic. The deadline for receipt of tenders is October 17, 2025, at 12:00 CEST. The procurement is judged based on the lowest price, and a Personal Identification Code (PIC) is required to participate as a sole candidate or consortium member. The contract duration for both lots is set at a maximum of 730 days, approximately two years.

The documentation specifies a multi-part submission process and offers additional technical specifications and drawings. Although the total funding amount is not disclosed, similar past projects in the region suggest estimates ranging from several million to over fifty million euros based on scale and complexity. The contracting authority overseeing the tender is the Ministry of Finance - Central Financing and Contracting Department.

Overall, this opportunity facilitates significant investments in water infrastructure while aligning with EU standards and practices for public contract procurement. Interested bidders must adhere to specific submission guidelines and timelines, and careful review of the tender documents is necessary before proposal submission.

The European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, has announced a call for tenders for the Wastewater Collection and Treatment Investment Project in the Municipality of Shtip, North Macedonia. The procedure identifier is EC-NEAR/SKP/2024/EA-OP/0176. This is an open procedure, and submissions must be non-electronic. The TED reference is 135/2025 467198-2025. The TED publication date is 17/07/2025.

The contract is divided into two lots:

Lot 1: Design and Construction of a Wastewater Treatment Plant in the Municipality of Shtip. The contract covers the design and construction of a wastewater treatment plant for 50,000 PE (population equivalent). The WWTP should be designed and constructed with secondary treatment and phosphorous removal. Works will be implemented following FIDIC Conditions of Contract (“Yellow Book”, 1999 edition). The nature of the contract is works. The maximum contract duration is 730 days. The award method is the lowest price. The lead contracting authority is the Ministry of Finance - Central Financing and Contracting Department (CFCD). The main classification (CPV) code is 45252127 - Wastewater treatment plant construction work. Additional CPV codes include 22314000 - Designs, 45232421 - Sewage treatment works, 45232431 - Wastewater pumping station, and 45232410 - Sewerage work. The place of delivery or performance is North Macedonia (20000952). The programme is the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (42921320).

Lot 2: Construction, Rehabilitation, and Extension of Sewerage Network in the Municipality of Shtip. The works include rehabilitation/replacement/reconstruction of approximately 33 km of network, construction of 4 pumping stations, and procurement of sewer water cleaning equipment. Works on the sewerage network will be implemented under FIDIC Conditions of Contract (“Red Book”, 1999 edition). The nature of the contract is works. The maximum contract duration is 730 days. The award method is the lowest price. The lead contracting authority is the Ministry of Finance - Central Financing and Contracting Department (CFCD). The main classification (CPV) code is 45232410 - Sewerage work. Additional CPV codes include 22314000 - Designs, 45252127 - Wastewater treatment plant construction work, 45232420 - Sewage work, 45232423 - Sewage pumping stations construction work, and 45232440 - Construction work for sewage pipes. The place of delivery or performance is North Macedonia (20000952). The programme is the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (42921320).

For both lots, the date and time of public opening is 24/10/2025 at 10:00 Europe/Skopje. The deadline for receipt of tenders is 17/10/2025 at 12:00 Europe/Skopje. The contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after 26/09/2025 at 05:00 Europe/Skopje.

A total of 52 documents are available for download, including "ENVolume 5 - Lot 1 Drawings.part01" through "ENVolume 5 - Lot 1 Drawings.part10," all technical specifications published on 17/07/2025, Version 1, with no translations available.

Submissions must be sent exclusively at the address for submission given in the procurement documents.

Some frequently asked questions (FAQ) are answered:

To address system slowness or issues during document upload/download, use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. If problems persist, clear the browser's cache and cookies.

eSubmission supports the latest versions of Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Refer to the System Requirements link for up-to-date technical recommendations.

The content of a submission is not accessible after the deadline due to system encryption.

Submissions can be found in the Funding & Tenders portal under 'My Submission(s)' for open calls for tenders.

Attachments must be less than 50 MB in size.

Attachment names in eSubmission must follow the System Requirements.

The system supports video submissions; check the System Requirements for supported formats.

Invited candidates can view procurement documents after selecting an organization in the F&T Portal under “My Invitations”.

A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for participation as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a consortium.

When uploading files, ensure they meet the system's technical requirements.

The maximum number of documents allowed per tender submission is 200 files.

A PIC is mandatory to submit a tender or request to participate, with only one PIC per organization.

To register an organization and obtain a PIC, check if the organization is already registered using the Search PIC tool under 'How to Participate' > Participant Register.

A PIC is unique and its validity is not limited in time.

The system supports all 24 official EU languages.

The character set encoding is UTF-8.

The system encrypts all uploaded documents using an asymmetric key.

Supported file types depend on the type of submission and are specified in the system requirements.

Draft submissions can be edited, viewed, and deleted until the submission deadline.

The display of "Legal form: UNKNOWN" in the submission report is a display issue and does not block submission.

An automatic email informing of the deadline being reached does not mean the submission was not correctly sent.

In summary, this is a call for tenders for a project involving wastewater collection and treatment in the Municipality of Shtip, North Macedonia. It is divided into two lots: one for the design and construction of a wastewater treatment plant and another for the construction, rehabilitation, and extension of the sewerage network. The tendering process is open, but submissions must be made in a non-electronic format. The Ministry of Finance - Central Financing and Contracting Department (CFCD) is the lead contracting authority. Interested parties should carefully review the provided documents and adhere to the specified deadlines and submission guidelines. A PIC code is mandatory for participation. The project is funded by the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance.

Eligible Applicant Types: The opportunity is open to tenderers capable of fulfilling the works contracts described in the tender documentation. The specific eligibility criteria are not explicitly stated in the provided text but can be assumed to include entities with the capacity to design, construct, rehabilitate, and extend wastewater treatment plants and sewerage networks. A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory to participate in a call for tenders as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium).

Funding Type: Procurement, specifically a call for tenders.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity is open to both single applicants and consortia. A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory to participate in a call for tenders as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium).

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The place of delivery or performance is North Macedonia. The funding is provided through the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance, suggesting eligibility is primarily focused on entities operating in or having a strong connection to North Macedonia, but the specific eligibility of international tenderers is not explicitly excluded.

Target Sector: The target sector is environment and construction, specifically focusing on wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure. This includes design and construction of wastewater treatment plants, rehabilitation/replacement/reconstruction of sewerage networks, construction of pumping stations, and procurement of sewer water cleaning equipment.

Mentioned Countries: North Macedonia.

Project Stage: The project stage encompasses design and construction, rehabilitation, replacement, and reconstruction, indicating a focus on both development and implementation.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value is not specified in the provided text.

Application Type: Open call for tenders.

Nature of Support: Money, as the opportunity is a procurement contract for works.

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly detailed, but it involves at least one stage of submitting a tender.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not mentioned in the provided text.

Summary:

This is a call for tenders, specifically the "Wastewater Collection and Treatment Investment Project in the Municipality of Shtip" in North Macedonia, funded by the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance. The procedure identifier is EC-NEAR/SKP/2024/EA-OP/0176. The tender is divided into two lots: Lot 1 focuses on the design and construction of a wastewater treatment plant for 50,000 population equivalent (PE), including secondary treatment and phosphorous removal, under FIDIC Conditions of Contract (“Yellow Book”, 1999 edition). Lot 2 involves the construction, rehabilitation, and extension of the sewerage network, including approximately 33 km of network rehabilitation/replacement/reconstruction, construction of 4 pumping stations, and procurement of sewer water cleaning equipment, under FIDIC Conditions of Contract (“Red Book”, 1999 edition). The submission method is non-electronic, and the deadline for receipt of tenders is 17/10/2025 at 12:00 Europe/Skopje. The contracting authority is the Ministry of Finance - Central Financing and Contracting Department (CFCD). The award method is lowest price. The maximum contract duration for both lots is 730 days. Tenderers must consult the procurement documents for the address for submission. The TED reference for this opportunity is 135/2025 467198-2025. Technical specifications and drawings are available in multiple parts (Volume 5 - Lot 1 Drawings.part01 to part10). A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory to participate in this call for tenders as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium).