Poland: The Swiss manufacturer has presented details of its appeal to the portal Nakolei, also disclosing in full the bid evaluation criteria.
Earlier, national operator PKP Intercity announced that Alstom had won the contract to supply up to 72 double-deck EMUs: the firm portion of the procurement covers the delivery of 42 trains and their 30-year maintenance.
PKP Intercity stated that the decision in favour of the French supplier was made due to the lower overall price. Alstom priced the firm part of the EMU supply contract at PLN 4.1 bln (€962.8 mln), with the maintenance element at almost PLN 2.8 bln (€657.5 mln). Stadler, meanwhile, offered PLN 4 bln (€939.4 mln) and PLN 3.3 bln (€774.9 mln). In reality, Stadler’s offer may have been more competitive for the rolling stock supply, but less so for maintenance pricing. According to the table cited by Nakolei, Stadler scored 66.91 points for price parameters, while Alstom scored 68.55 points.
Both bidders also submitted figures for train energy efficiency. In this category, Stadler outperformed Alstom – scoring 28.00 points against Alstom’s 24.59. Thus, in the three most significant parameters, Stadler led Alstom with a total of 94.91 points versus 93.24.
However, the outcome was decided by an additional criterion (worth 2 of the 100 points total) – the start date for train deliveries, specifically the readiness to hand over the first two trains earlier than 44 months after contract signing. Stadler gave the same 44-month figure, while Alstom stated it could start deliveries one month earlier. This factor neutralised Stadler’s advantage: Alstom ended up with a total score of 95.24, compared to Stadler’s 94.91.
In its appeal, Stadler is now seeking to have the selection of Alstom’s bid declared invalid and the tender re-evaluated. The Swiss company claims that Alstom’s shortened delivery schedule misleads the client as to the punctual fulfilment of obligations under other government contracts.
It is worth noting that reports of delivery delays by Alstom have been appearing with increasing frequency in recent years. Notably, in the past few years Alstom has missed deadlines for EMU deliveries to Belgium, Germany, Denmark and metro cars to Romania. A record case is the 10-year delay in supplying 27 metro trains to Lille in France. At the same time, the size of Alstom’s order backlog must be considered: it is the largest in the global market and many times greater than Stadler’s. The Swiss company itself, incidentally, last year postponed delivery deadlines for around 50 orders due to flooding in Europe, and also breaches deadlines for major contracts such as the metro trains for Berlin.
UPDATED 20/10/2025: The Polish National Appeal Chamber has rejected Stadler’s appeal. The reasons cited for this decision include the appeal being submitted too late and insufficient evidence to justify the exclusion of Alstom from the procurement process. Stadler still has the option to file an appeal with the Warsaw District Court.
