The tender for meter reading services in Serbia has once again been temporarily suspended, halting the signing of a contract between Elektrodistribucija Srbije (EDS) and the consortium led by Dane Šijan’s company, T&M Group Solutions. The suspension follows a complaint—reportedly from the same company that caused the previous tender to collapse when the contract was initially awarded to a consortium led by Marko Bosanac’s firm.
According to the Public Procurement Portal, a new request for protection of bidders’ rights was filed, prompting EDS to pause all further activities until the Republic Commission for the Protection of Rights in Public Procurement Procedures issues a decision.
The EDS tender received two bids. The company selected the higher-priced one, submitted by the consortium led by T&M Group Solutions. The competing, lower-priced offer—led by Đerdap Usluge—was rejected for failing to meet the qualification criteria related to “educational and professional qualifications.”
Đerdap Usluge is the same company that previously appealed against the last tender for meter reading services in late 2024, leading to its eventual cancellation.
The accepted bid from T&M Group Solutions, together with partners Laboris HRS, Dobergard, and Pro TENT, amounted to 2.4 billion dinars (about €20 million) excluding VAT. The rejected offer from Đerdap Usluge’s consortium was nearly 400 million dinars cheaper, at 2.04 billion dinars.
EDS explained that the Đerdap Usluge consortium was disqualified because one of its members, Work and Care, failed to provide proof of more than 2,600 active employees, as required under Serbian procurement law.
Meanwhile, T&M Group Solutions’ bid was deemed complete and compliant. The company submitted all necessary documents, including proof of active employees, and met all technical and legal requirements.
Notably, most of the same companies participated in the previous tender. T&M Group Solutions was part of the earlier consortium led by Marko Bosanac’s Montop HRS, which also included Laboris HRS and other subcontractors. That tender was canceled after multiple appeals from Đerdap Usluge.
The ongoing legal dispute means that the meter reading service contract—worth billions of dinars—remains on hold until the public procurement commission issues its ruling.
