The company has successfully led the implementation of the two previous phases of this important EU-funded Programme and this new award gives credit to the quality of the services provided over the last years. The new project has an allocated budget of €5.1 million and will run for 36 months.
The Municipal Infrastructure Support Programme (MISP) for the Republic of Serbia was initiated by the European Commission in early 2008 aiming at two main objectives: on the one hand, to provide technical support to all Serbian municipalities in the planning and implementation of municipal infrastructure projects, mainly related to water supply, wastewater treatment, and the collection and disposal or municipal solid waste, and, on the other, to provide legal, managerial and technical support to the Public Utility Companies in charge for the delivery of municipal infrastructure services.
From its very first phase, the technical assistance of the Programme was awarded to a consortium led by EPTISA and composed by the Dutch companies Royal Haskoning and VNG International, through a service contract of €4 million. Thanks to the successful project implementation, the contract was renewed in 2010 with an additional €9.5 million technical assistance.
Acknowledgment for the job well done by the expert team is the recent award of the third phase of the Programme. The new contract, funded by the EU’s Instrument for Pre-Accession with €5.1 million and managed by the EU Delegation to Serbia, will be implemented again by the consortium EPTISA-Royal Haskoning-VNG International.
During the next 36 months, experts from the three consortium partners will assist the Serbian authorities in the preparation and prioritisation of municipal and socio-economic infrastructure projects. The team will also undertake several feasibility studies for the construction of environmental and socio-economic infrastructures. Additionally, EPTISA will provide supervision services for three construction projects (two regional water supply schemes and a wastewater treatment plant). Finally, the expert team will continue providing advice and support for the improvement of the technical and financial management of the public utility companies in charge of municipal infrastructure services.
All together, the three phases of MISP represent a technical assistance of €18.5 million, reflecting the European Union’s solid commitment to assist Serbia in the improvement of its municipal infrastructure services, in the enhancement of the human capacities of its local governments, and in the improvement of its people’s living standards.
EPTISA is one of the most important consulting and engineering groups in the Western Balkans. Through its Regional Office for Southeast Europe, the company is currently implementing 28 IFI-funded projects in the region, employing 40 permanent professionals and more than 300 consultants from different technical backgrounds.
For more information about MISP or about EPTISA in Southeast Europe, please visit the websites www.misp-serbia.rs or send an e-mail to eptisasee@eptisa.com