The National Assembly has announced large-scale public procurement for transport costs, including the purchase of plane tickets and fuel, totaling nearly one and a half million euros. According to information from NOVA TV, the deputies of the 52nd parliament plan to travel to 57 destinations around the world in the next two years. The amount for air transport alone amounts to 869,196 euros excluding VAT, and after the tax is calculated, the cost exceeds one million.
In addition to the routine domestic flights to Varna and Burgas, which the deputies use weekly during parliamentary sessions, the new contracts should provide access to all European capitals and larger cities on the continent. The list also includes Istanbul, Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The geography of the planned trips extends far beyond Europe. Among the more distant destinations included in the order are the American cities of Washington, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, as well as the Asian capitals of Beijing, Hanoi and Delhi.
The service agreement will be concluded for a period of two years. A number of specific requirements have been placed on the future ticket supplier, including 24-hour availability and readiness to accept requests on weekends and holidays. If a request is submitted by parliament, the company must return an offer within one hour.
According to the documentation, priority will be given to low-cost airlines. Only if they do not offer convenient options will offers from traditional carriers be considered. The use of companies that are not allowed to operate in European airspace due to low security standards is expressly prohibited. The supplier is obliged to first look for direct flights, and in the absence of such - routes with a minimum number of transfers.
In parallel with air transport, the National Assembly also provides ground transportation, as well as heating of its bases. A second public procurement worth 485,520 euros excluding VAT has been announced for the purchase of fuels.
For the needs of the parliamentary fleet, which serves the deputies, 200 thousand liters of A-95N gasoline, 25 thousand liters of high-octane gasoline, 20 thousand liters of Eurodiesel and 5,000 liters of diesel with additives will be delivered. Additionally, 10 thousand liters of diesel fuel and 100 thousand normal cubic meters of compressed natural gas have been ordered, which are intended for heating the parliament's rest station in Velingrad.
With these two items, the total amount allocated for transport and logistics by the current parliament in its latest procurements reaches 1,446,903 euros excluding VAT.