Bechtel's Croatian branch said in a statement on Friday Bechtel was in the position to start construction on the Dugopolje-Sestanovac section immediately, without the delay that a bid invitation requires.
According to the statement, data indicate that Bechtel's price is the best and that the company's quality and safety-at-work conditions are unsurpassable.
The statement goes on to say that Bechtel is particularly disappointed because of 2,200 Croatian workers the company has been employing since 2000. Spokesman Damir Vucic said contracts would be terminated with most Croatian workers very soon due to the fact that works the company was doing in Croatia were nearing completion. He added only a small number would remain employed over the next 18 months for possible work on sections Bechtel had already finished.
The government decided at a session on Wednesday that the contractor for the Dugopolje-Sestanovac section of the Split-Dubrovnik highway would be chosen in an invitation for bids, thus scrapping its previous plan to award the contract to Bechtel.
The decision to invite bids for the 37 km section was proposed by Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, who explained it with the government's wish to work transparently and to have the public participate in decision-making.