The tender commission has officially launched the competitive dialogue phase of the concession tender for Terminal No. 1 (the universal terminal) and the Container Terminal at the Chornomorsk seaport.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Development of Communities and Territories announced this in a statement, the CFTS portal reported.
According to the statement, during this phase, the government will provide the participants in the concession tender with the basic terms of the tender. Potential investors will familiarize themselves with the assets, conduct their own research, analyze the project’s technical, financial, and operational parameters, and submit their proposals and comments. All participants have already signed non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and received access to the necessary information.
"Competitive dialogue is a key phase in the project’s implementation. Over the course of 75 days, we are working with the market to develop the optimal concession model: the government provides the basic terms, while investors offer their professional feedback and proposals. This allows us to develop a balanced, viable agreement that takes into account the interests of the state, the community, and businesses," said Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction and Minister of Development of Communities and Territories Oleksii Kuleba.
Based on the outcome of the competitive dialogue, the tender commission—with the participation of advisors from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC)—will review the submitted proposals and draft the final version of the concession agreement and instructions for participants.
After the ministry approves the documents, participants will have additional time to prepare and submit legally binding tender proposals.
The Chornomorsk port concession tender could become the largest public-private partnership project in the Ukrainian port sector in the country’s history and the first such project to be implemented during the war. The goal is to attract a reliable investor to modernize port infrastructure, improve terminal efficiency, preserve over 1,000 jobs, and secure long-term revenue for state and local budgets.
