Industry and Trade Ministry has sent a letter to Gazprom suggesting changes into the company’s order of pipeline procurements that ensure equal rights for all pipe sellers.
The ministry has adjusted Gazprom’s procurement standard together with the Federal Antimonopoly Service and pipeline producers to minimize procurements from a single supplier to ensure equal access of all producers of large-diameter pipelines to Gazprom’s tenders, the letter says.
Under the changes, Gazprom also must announce another tender with better conditions if a tender fails, a ban on signing of a contract with a single supplier at conditions different from conditions of the second tender, and a formula that defines the initial minimum price of a tender.
The ministry also said that these suggestions were subject to further discussions, but a source familiar with the matter reported that if disputes around Gazprom’s pipe procurements remained, the issue would be submitted for discussion at a government meeting chaired by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
In November 2018, sources said that Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov met with Russian producers of large-diameter pipelines who were dissatisfied with the procurement policy of Gazprom. The companies said that Gazprom’s policy did not comply with the principles of transparency and fairness for pipeline producers. (Prime/Ukrainian metal)
