Tallinn finds new solution to clear snow from streets this winter
Tallinn has signed new agreements with its current partners to clear snow from the city's streets this winter after maintenance tenders were contested in several districts.
The deadline for concluding contracts with a service provider for winter maintenance of Tallinn's streets passed at the end of September. However, the procurement procedure was contested. As disputes of this kind tend to drag on indefinitely, the city government had to find a solution to fulfill its promise and ensure all sidewalks, which the city had agreed to clean for the first time, would be cleared when the snow arrives.
Mustamäe is the only district that found a contractual partner for the additional sidewalk maintenance as a result of the procurement, Tallinn Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) told ERR. All sidewalks in the Pirita district are already covered by maintenance contracts, so the city does not need to conclude a new contract there.
However, a solution still had to be found for the capital's remaining six districts (Haabersti, Kesklinn, Kristiine, Lasnamäe, Põhja-Tallinn), where the contracts were contested.
"The solution is to make additional agreements with existing maintenance partners, who will include this additional amount of sidewalks in their contracts. Most of these agreements have already been concluded, and some of the loose ends are being tied up. Some contracts are already being signed, while others are still in the final stages of negotiation. But basically, we are confident now that this additional sidewalk volume will be covered in all districts of the city, which means that snow will be cleared from the sidewalks," Ossinovski said.
In Kesklinn and Põhja-Tallinn, the dispute process will continue in order to obtain legal clarity, he added.
"However, as the dispute is likely to take some time, we are also working in parallel with existing partners to reach an agreement so that the service is guaranteed this season no matter what. After that it will be possible to announce a new tender for the next season," Ossinovski said.
The five-year snow removal contracts for different districts of the city will expire in 2027, after which it would make sense for the Tallinn Urban Environment and Public Works Department to launch one large tender instead of doing so district by district, the mayor noted.
"Then, of course, this additional sidewalk volume will be immediately included in the large contract, and there will be no need to handle it via several separate contracts," he said.
According to the city government's calculations, €11 million was earmarked in the budget for sidewalk maintenance this winter. The Mustamäe tender has already shown however that the total amount may actually be several million euros lower.
"I really don't want to reveal the figures yet, as not all the contracts have been signed, but if we look at the additional volume in Mustamäe, for example, which was agreed in the tender, the estimated cost was twice as low as we had forecast," said Ossinovski.
In July, Tallinn City Council approved an amendment to the city's public order regulations, with the city taking responsibility for clearing snow from all city-owned roads in the coming winter. Previously, the clearing of sidewalks had been left to private owners.
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Editor: Michael Cole
