Invitation for Bids

1.    The Government of Azerbaijan has applied for financing from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) toward the cost of Azerbaijan Railways Electrification, Signaling and Telecommunication Project (Bilajari-Yalama). Part of this financing will be used for payments under the Contract named above. Bidding is open to Bidders from eligible source countries of ADB.

2.    The Azerbaijan Railways Closed Joint Stock Company (ADY) (“the Employer”) invites sealed bids from eligible Bidders for the design, construction and completion of Electrification, Signaling and Telecommunication Works of Railway Section Bilajari-Yalama (“the Works”).

The Project forms part of a wider programme to modernize 25 kV AC electrification and signaling and telecommunications systems along the railway sections Bilajari–Yalama and Baku–Boyuk Kesik, which are key elements of Azerbaijan’s north–south and east–west rail corridors serving ADY’s international freight operations.

This first project under the programme covers the Bilajari–Yalama section, a key link within the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) supporting regional freight transit. The section comprises approximately 192 km of double track and 15 stations. The estimated period for the design and construction works is 42 months, inclusive of the design period.

The Bilajari (excluding Bilajari Station)–Yalama section is a double-track, 1,520 mm gauge conventional railway line carrying passenger and freight traffic. The track and associated civil works have recently been rehabilitated. The corridor is currently equipped with electrification, signaling, and telecommunications systems; however, these systems are obsolete and require replacement with modern systems meeting international standards. The project aims to enhance safety, increase operational speed and efficiency, and improve the reliability and availability of railway services along this route.

3.    Open competitive bidding – International Advertisement will be conducted in accordance with ADB’s Single Stage:Two Envelope procedure and is open to all Bidders from eligible countries as described in the Bidding Document.

4.    Only eligible Bidders with the following key qualifications defined in the Bidding Document may participate in this bidding:

a) Financial Situation:

The net worth and financial resources for the Bidder’s organization or Joint Venture shall meet the following criteria:

Ø  Submission of audited financial statements or, if not required by the law of the Bidder’s country, other financial statements acceptable to the Employer, for the last 5 years to demonstrate the current soundness of the Bidder’s financial position. As a minimum, Bidder’s net worth for the last year, calculated as the difference between total assets and total liabilities, should be positive.

Ø  For Single Entities - The Bidder must demonstrate that its financial resources, less its financial obligations for its major contract commitments, meet or exceed the total requirement for the Subject Contract of US$ 25 million.

Ø  For Joint Ventures – (1) One partner must demonstrate that its financial resources, less its financial obligations for its own major contract commitments, meet or exceed its required share of US$ 10 million from the total requirement for the Subject Contract; (2) Each partner must demonstrate that its financial resources, less its financial obligations for its own current contract commitments, meet or exceed its required share of US$ 6 million from the total requirement for the Subject Contract; (3) The Joint Venture must demonstrate that the combined financial resources of all partners, less all the partners’ total financial obligations for the major contract commitments, meet or exceed the total requirement for the Subject Contract of US $25 million.

b)  Average annual construction turnover: Minimum average annual construction turnover of US$ 130 million calculated as total certified payments received for contracts in progress or completed within the last five years. In case of Joint Venture, the lead member must meet at least 40% of the requirement, while each partner must meet at least 25% of the requirement.

c)  Similar Size Contract Experience: Participation as a contractor, Joint Venture partner, or Subcontractor, in one contract of US$ 150 million that has been satisfactorily completed between 1^st January 2021 and bid submission deadline.

d)  Similar Nature Contract Experience: Participation as a contractor, Joint Venture partner, or Subcontractor, in the following technical requirements, within the last 5 years:

Ø  Supply and installation of overhead catenary systems on a minimum of 50 route-km of main line railway.

Ø  Supply and installation of signaling systems on a minimum of 50 route-km of main line railway.

Ø  Supply and installation of telecommunication systems at a minimum of 5 main line railway stations.

e)  Construction Experience in Specialized Key Activities: For the above or other contracts completed between 1^st January 2021 and bid submission deadline a minimum construction experience is required in the following key activities, which may be compiled with by the Bidder itself or by its proposed Specialist Subcontractor(s).

Ø  The design of railway electrification systems.

Ø  The design of railway signaling systems.

Ø  The design of railway telecommunication systems.

f)   For the complete evaluation and qualification requirements, Bidders shall refer to the Bidding Document. If there are any discrepancies between this Invitation for Bid and the Bidding Document, the Bidding Document shall prevail.

g)  Domestic Preference will not be applied.

5.    The bids will be evaluated following the Merit Point Criteria. A combined score will be calculated using a 30:70 technical and financial weighting.

6.    A Pre-Bid meeting shall take place.

Date: 08 May 2026

Time: 15:00 hours Baku local time

Place: Remote (MS Teams meeting link will be provided two days before the meeting to the bidders who purchased the Bidding Documents)

7.    To obtain further information and inspect the Bidding Documents, Bidders should contact the following address between 10:00 – 17:00 (Baku local time).

PIU Procurement Team

Street address: 230 Dilara Aliyeva str.

Floor/Room number: Floor 1, room 163

City: Baku

ZIP code: AZ1010

Country: Azerbaijan

Telephone: +994 12 499 44 95; +994 12 499 43 56 

E-mail: [email protected]

8.    To purchase the Bidding Documents in English, interested eligible Bidders should:

Ø  submit written application (on the official letterhead of the company and signed by the authorized person) to the address above requesting the Bidding Documents for “ARESTP-BY-CW-01, Design and Build of Electrification, Signaling and Telecommunication Works of Railway Section Bilajari-Yalama”.  

Ø  pay a non-refundable fee of US $ 200 or AZN 340.00 by bank transfer. The Bank details are following:

USD Account details:

AZN Account details:

Ø  Upon payment of the non-refundable fee, the Employer will send the soft version of the bidding document to the bidder in non-editable file format (PDF). A hard copy of the bidding document may be collected from the address stated in this notice by the bidder's authorized representative or, if requested, sent to the bidder by a courier organized by the bidder. The Employer will not be responsible for any loss or damage to the bidding document.

9.    Deliver your bid:

•     to the address: Floor 4, room 458, 230 Dilara Aliyeva str., Baku, Azerbaijan, AZ1010, Azerbaijan Railways Headquarters

•     on or before the deadline: 29 May 2026, 15:00 hours (Baku local time)

•     together with a Bid Security as described in the Bidding Document

10.    Bids will be opened promptly after the deadline for bid submission in the presence of Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend. Late bids will be rejected.