The Bulgarian Ministry of Interior has officially opened the price bids in its record-breaking public procurement worth BGN 126 million (EUR 64.4 million), which envisions the purchase of nearly 1,000 patrol cars and around 300 police motorcycles. The offers are already listed in the electronic register for public procurement.

For 575 standard patrol cars, the company “Moto-Pfohe” has submitted the lowest offer – BGN 68,600 per unit without VAT. With the additional mandatory police equipment and tax included, the total price per vehicle comes to BGN 93,180. Competitor “Bohemia Ekipauto” has a slightly higher base figure of BGN 68,682, but after adding VAT and extras, its proposal amounts to BGN 91,980 per car, making it more cost-effective overall. The highest price quotes were submitted by the “Das Auto 2025” consortium, with base offers of BGN 83,040 and full prices reaching BGN 107,700 per vehicle.

For the 405 requested 4x4 off-road patrol vehicles, “Das Auto 2025” again offered higher numbers – BGN 90,318 base, which rises to BGN 116,433 including equipment and tax. Meanwhile, “Bohemia Ekipauto” came in significantly lower, at BGN 71,225 base and BGN 95,940 in total per SUV.

The companies did not disclose the exact brands or models they propose, but the market profile gives clear hints. “Moto-Pfohe” is the official importer of Ford, while “Bohemia Ekipauto” is linked to the distribution of Skoda.

When it comes to motorcycles, only “Auto Bavaria”, the Bulgarian importer of BMW, entered the competition. The company offered BGN 31,907 base price and BGN 49,488 including extras and VAT for the 205 universal motorcycles that the Ministry intends to purchase. For the 80 high-speed motorcycles also included in the tender, the figures are BGN 32,382 and BGN 50,058 respectively.

The procurement, however, has already drawn criticism. The Road Safety Institute (RSI) sent an official letter to Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov last week, demanding the suspension of the tender. The NGO stressed that the purchase is to be financed with BGN 126 million from the Road Safety Fund – money collected from traffic fines. They recalled that only last year the same fund was used to purchase 463 cars. If the new order is finalized, the total fleet acquired through the Fund will reach 1,740 vehicles, while the entire staff of the “Traffic Police” across Bulgaria is 1,710 officers.

According to the RSI, this imbalance, combined with the inclusion of SUVs in the order, clearly indicates that a significant portion of the vehicles will be allocated to other Ministry of Interior units, which they argue goes against the intended use of the Road Safety Fund.