Jerky and open bills

The Ministry of Transport considers the start of the federal company, which is supposed to plan, build and maintain Germany’s highways, to be a success. Not everyone in the construction industry sees it that way.

Tina von Löhneysen, rbb “We can only work if we receive payments,” says Wolfgang Schubert-Raab, managing director of Raab-Baugesellschaft in Ebensfeld and vice-president of the Central Association of the German Construction Industry. “The bills hang for up to three months. This is not meant as an indictment, but I have to make it very clear that it does not work here.” Open bills: The management of the newly founded Autobahn GmbH of the federal government knows about the problem. But from their point of view, it sounds a lot less dramatic. “We are not quite in a stable state here,” says the chairman of the management board Stephan Krenz. “But in a society that flows through seven billion euros, that’s not unusual.” If there are problems in individual cases, please contact us. Those in charge say it is the biggest reform in the history of the motorway. The 16 federal states are no longer responsible. 10,000 employees have moved from the responsibility of the federal states to the new Autobahn GmbH. The company plans and builds with federal funds. Everything comes from a single source. Actually, in the spirit of the construction industry – one contact for everything. In practice, however, it does not run smoothly, says, for example, Hans-Georg Stutz from Stutz GmbH and board member of the Central Association of the German Construction Industry. There are still some shrugging shoulders at some questions from the building contractors. “Employees do not know who to address to a higher level.”

The planned merger is on hold

Initial jerk, of course. More far-reaching, however, is the Federal Audit Office’s rejection of the merger of Autobahn GmbH and DEGES, the Deutsche Einheit Fernstraßenplanungs- und -bau GmbH. The federal states commissioned DEGES with many of their infrastructure projects. A merger would have meant a real bundling of competencies in the area of ​​motorways in Germany. But because DEGES is a GmbH, the orders would have had to be returned and put out to tender in the event of a merger. Chaos threatens, the merger is on hold until further notice. As things stand at present, DEGES should first process its orders and projects. This is incomprehensible to Stefan Gelbhaar, a member of the Green Party and a traffic expert. “They spent a lot of money on advice. And you pay for everything to run smoothly.” He finds that irritating. The costs are also a fiasco. For 2021, the operating costs of the Autobahn GmbH are already one billion higher than estimated. In view of the much-vaunted efficiency, that is frightening.

Construction industry worries about orders for medium-sized companies

The tendering and awarding practice of the Autobahn GmbH is of fundamental concern to the construction industry. The investment volumes aroused the interest of major international corporations, according to a spokesman for their association. “We are afraid that medium-sized companies in Germany will lose their orders in the road construction sector.” The unions have come to terms with the establishment of a new one. One always fought against the Autobahn GmbH, says Antje Schumacher-Bergelin, who is responsible for the federal traffic administration and road construction administration at ver.di. The system could have been reformed differently. But now it is so, and you have to try to make the best of it. If those responsible are serious about bundling competencies, then one has to go to public-private partnerships (PPP). “The German autobahns are a patchwork quilt.” The Federal Audit Office repeatedly pointed out that the PPPs are more expensive than purely publicly implemented projects. But they don’t want to hear that in the Ministry of Transport.