The deadline for companies to bid for the third phase of Madeira’s new Central and University Hospital has been extended to 13th of October, prompting the PS-Madeira to demand an explanation from the Regional Government.
The third phase covers the hospital’s general infrastructure, finishes and technical installations. It is the second attempt to award the work: the first tender attracted no bids, despite earlier extensions to its deadline. The new tender has a base price of €415 million, up from €265 million in the first attempt. According to Diário, work at the site is currently at a standstill.
In a statement issued on Monday, 28th of September, PS-Madeira leader Célia Pessegueiro asked the government to explain the legal and practical reason for the latest extension. She questioned whether it followed requests for clarification, corrections to the tender documents, identified errors or omissions, or a request from a prospective bidder.
Pessegueiro also asked how many bids had been received by 28th of September. She said the decision had been announced at the last minute and questioned whether companies that had worked to meet the original deadline could be disadvantaged by giving others more time. Her questions do not establish that the current tender has received no bids.
The Socialist leader linked the timing to Regional Government President Miguel Albuquerque’s planned meeting with Prime Minister Luís Montenegro in Lisbon. She asked whether the extension was connected to the Region’s request for a written commitment that the national government would fund 50% of the hospital project. She also noted that the new deadline falls the day after the planned submission of the State Budget to the Assembly of the Republic.
The Regional Government has previously said it expects the national government to meet half the cost of the project. When the revised tender was announced in June, Regional Secretary for Equipment and Infrastructure Pedro Rodrigues said he hoped work on this phase could begin in January 2027, with construction of the phase completed around mid-2030. Medical equipment and the transfer of services would be dealt with in a further phase. Those dates remain projections, dependent in part on the outcome of the tender.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
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