Coimbra City Council approves contract for Palace of Justice of Coimbra projects

Contract approved for the Palace of Justice of Coimbra projects

Coimbra City Council unanimously approved, at a routine council meeting, the award of the contract to draw up the architectural design and specialist engineering projects for the future Palace of Justice of Coimbra, clearing the way for a facility the city has been waiting for for decades. The contract was awarded to Vítor Hugo - Coordenação e Gestão de Projectos, S.A., for 393,600 euros.

International tender: eight bids and the “most economically advantageous” offer

The international tender launched by the Municipality attracted eight submissions. The decision was made using the criterion of the most economically advantageous proposal, with the chosen bid being the lowest-priced offer that satisfied every requirement of the procedure. The winning proposal, at 320 thousand euros (plus VAT), came in below the tender’s set base price for the project.

Concerns over pricing, complexity and UNESCO-related constraints

During the meeting, councillor Ana Bastos welcomed the progress made, while warning about the value of the award, which she described as "abnormally low" given the complexity of the intervention. She pointed out that the future Palace of Justice will be located on the edge of the UNESCO-classified area, bringing stricter demands in terms of urban integration and heritage-related constraints. The councillor stressed that this will be "a landmark project" for the city of Coimbra.

Mayor Ana Abrunhosa echoes concerns while insisting on quality

The Mayor, Ana Abrunhosa, said she shared those concerns, noting that project fees "have been falling off a cliff" due to the sector’s current conditions. Even so, she argued that the new Palace of Justice should stand out as a landmark development for Coimbra and one delivered to a high standard.