The ministry has kept its starting price for the freight carrier at EUR180 million but lowered the minimum turnover required of bidders to EUR20 million from the initial EUR100 million.
Interested investors are expected to submit prequalification papers by May 23 and a shortlist of prequalified bidders is to be announced on the same day. Shortlisted bidders then have until June 5 to submit non-binding preliminary bids and direct negotiations are set to start on June 6, while sealed-bid offers are expected by June 19 and the wining bid is to be announced on June 20.
U.S. company OmniTRAX, Romanian private freight railway carrier Grup Feroviar Roman (GFR) and a consortium of two companies filed papers for the prequalification phase of the auction to privatize CFR Marfa. The consortium is made up of Transferoviar Grup (TFG) and Donau-Finanz GmbH & Co KG Austria.
The Transport Ministry’s privatization committee rejected the three entities after analyzing their papers, and prequalification procedures will be resumed, the ministry said Wednesday.