Polimex and HOCHTIEF exit CPK terminal tender as builders flag coordination risks

Consortium withdrawal from terminal tender

A construction consortium composed of Polimex Mostostal, HOCHTIEF Polska, and HOCHTIEF Infrastructure has pulled out of the tender for the passenger terminal at Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK), also known as Port Polska. The group participated in competitive dialogue for nearly a year, providing feedback on tender documents, contractual terms, and bid evaluation criteria before choosing not to submit an offer. The withdrawal resulted from an internal risk assessment by the HOCHTIEF companies, which cited execution risks, contractual conditions, and the schedule for submitting bids. Both companies stated they remain interested in competing for other Polish infrastructure contracts, including energy and transport ventures tied to the wider CPK development program.

Contractor concerns over project scale

Jerzy Mirgos, the chief executive of construction firm Mirbud, which is participating in proceedings for the terminal, railway station, tunnel, and rail lines, noted that the scale of the development creates friction across overlapping packages. Mirbud pointed to challenges in linking the terminal with the adjacent railway station and rail tunnel, particularly because CPK procures elements like baggage handling systems, elevators, and escalators separately while expecting the general terminal contractor to assist in installation and commissioning. Mirgos also stated that the design documentation prepared by Foster + Partners permitted building permit applications but required further technical work to price the works accurately.

The scale of the investment has overwhelmed both the contracting authority and the bidders. No one in Poland has ever executed such a large project before, and assembling personnel responsible for coordinating the work is not an easy task.

State coordination and design status

CPK rejected contractor claims that private builders would need to coordinate execution schedules on their own, stating that the public investor retains full responsibility for overarching management. According to the state developer, key milestones and deadlines will be fixed directly in contracts, with disputes handled sequentially by the contract engineer, a technical committee, arbitration, or Polish courts. CPK also affirmed that the technical design for the terminal is complete, having been delivered by Foster + Partners with fire safety approvals secured in June 2025.

Budgetary pressures and 2032 target

The passenger terminal construction is estimated at approximately 5 billion PLN, within a broader 43 billion PLN budget projected for the airport component of the hub. Facing tight fiscal conditions and an absence of European Union funds for the accompanying High-Speed Rail (KDP) network, CPK and prospective contractors are assessing options to curb expenditures and implement standard building variants. Piotr Malepszak, the government plenipotentiary for CPK, stated that the state still targets an opening date of 2032 for Port Polska alongside the first section of the high-speed rail line. Malepszak noted that his daily work focuses on reviewing and eliminating investment risks identified over recent months.

Today I can say that we maintain this deadline, although public documents have for several years pointed to investment risks and the fact that in many infrastructure investments these deadlines are not met. Therefore, my role today is to bring this investment to rationality in terms of scope and the elimination of all risks.