Narrative description of the supervised Project:
The EBRD provided financing to JV Emisiona Tehnika i Veze (ETV), a Serbian state-owned company, to implement the second phase of the switchover from analogue to digital terrestrial television broadcasting in Serbia. Proceeds of the financing were used for the purchase of necessary equipment and civil works. The Project is part of a global broadcasting digitalization trend and a wider EU-led initiative of building an information society in Europe as outlined in the Digital Agenda for Europe announced on 19 May 2010. Deadline for finalising the digital switchover in Europe is 17 June 2015, as set by the Regional Radio Communication Conference held by International Telecommunications Union in June 2006 in Geneva, Switzerland.
The Towercom-Aspiro consortium was selected by ETV to support them throughout the entire procurement and contracting process.
The Project supported the switchover from analogue to digital terrestrial television broadcasting in Serbia and contributed to the expansion of mobile broadband networks and coverage area of digital television broadcasting across the territory of Serbia, including in underserved and remote areas. The Project has allowed the release of “digital dividend”, additional spectrum to be used for deployment of mobile broadband networks.
The Project may additionally contribute to greater competition in the television broadcasting sector in Serbia by expanding the infrastructure capacity of ETV to broadcast a larger number of television channels with national and regional coverage.
Description of actual services provided by the staff within the assignment:
- We helped optimize and finalize the procurement plan consisting of 7 tenders
- We assisted in finalizing the prequalification procedure in MUX equipment and related services tender
- We advised on procurement strategy of the entire investment and consultancy package with the aim to meet the DSO deadline of 17 June 2015
- We prepared and finalized tender documents, terms of reference, qualification criteria and evaluation methodologies
- We advised in management of the tender procedures and dialogue with the tenderers and the EBRD
- We assisted with contract drafting and early-stage contract management
- We identified PPP options for Pay-TV services and provided initial training to ETV and Ministry of Telecommunications staff
Client testimonial
“We appreciated a lot Aspiro’s hands-on approach and flexibility in responding to our needs and fast-paced implementation where specific answers and detailed advice were often needed within an hour, regardless of time of the day. We benefited from their deep understanding of specific financing issues, procurement and vendor management. This has allowed us to select reputable contractors at good value for money, save 5 million EUR in the project budget, and implement the contracts on time ahead of the digital switchover deadline. I would specifically like to commend the ability of Aspiro’s international consultants to learn Serbian very quickly and advise us in our own language in the 2nd half of the 1-year project.”
Branko Gogić, Director,
JP ETV