11 companies bid for vehicular inspection; Riteve stands aside for now

QCOSTARICA – A total of eleven companies submitted their offer to temporarily offer the vehicle inspection service in the country,.

Opus Group, Farenet Consortium, Metropolitan Parks, Cooperative of Workers of the Vehicle Technical Inspection R.L, Central American Medical Investments, Certigases CR Business Group, Tenet DFS, Intersat, Reteve Consortium, Dekra Consortium and CRSGS were the companies that submitted their offers to the Ministerio de Obras Publicas y Transportes (MOPY) by the July 29, 2022, deadline.

According to MOPT Minister, Luis Amador, on Friday, he will not yet open the offers of the companies that intend to offer the service on a temporary basis, “uso en precario” or “in precarious use”, for the next two years, while the government works on the permanent tender for a long term operator..

Amador explained that the MOPT will have 10 business days to analyze the offers and decide on the winning bidder.

Riteve SyC did not participate. On July 15, Riteve SyC, which had been in charge of operating the vehicular inspection for the last 20 years, closed its doors as per the contract it had with the government, announced it would not bid for the precarious use, but rather would wait for the long term tender process.

“As we had indicated on previous occasions, the company will maintain its willingness to offer and be able to continue contributing to the country as long as it is a bidding process with a solid legal basis and high-quality standards,” Riteve spokeswoman Jennifer Hidalgo said this week in response to questions if or not Riteve would be bidding on the temporary operation.

On July 15, Riteve SyC, in accordance with the provisions of the contract signed in 2002, delivered to the Costa Rican State the facilities and equipment it used in the inspections.

The vehicular inspection is mandatory for all vehicles circulating in the country, with annual or bi-annual, as in the case of taxis, for example, based on the last digit of the license plate.

The inspection certificate is required to pay the annual Marchamo, circulating permit and registration of vehicles.

If the MOPT cannot come to terms with a winning bidder, Amador has said he will use MOPT mechanics who are familiar with the operation and use of the equipment used by Riteve.

As to rates, according to the specifications published by the MOPT, the highest scores will be given to the companies with the most technical experience and the lowest fees to the consumer.

However, the same document indicates that from the outset, the selected company would start operating with the same rates that Riteve had, since they are the ones that are currently approved by the Regulatory Authority (Aresep).