Gov’t will not compromise on quality or overpay for infrastructure projects, Zhorzholiani says

Head of the Georgian Government Administration Levan Zhorzholiani on Tuesday said the Government will not compromise on the quality of infrastructure projects and is committed to paying a fair market price for public works.

Speaking about a meeting with members of the Infrastructure Construction Companies Association on Imedi TV, Zhorzholiani said the Government had undertaken a major reform of the public procurement system over the past year and a half, with a particular focus on construction and infrastructure projects.

“We have a very simple principle that we have communicated to the business sector: we will not compromise on quality under any circumstances. At the same time, we do not intend to pay either too much or too little. Our goal is to pay a fair and reasonable price,” Zhorzholiani said.

He said the reforms had eliminated flawed procurement practices, introduced market-based pricing for construction materials, machinery and labour and implemented an indexation mechanism to account for price fluctuations in long-term projects.

According to Zhorzholiani, the Government has also moved away from the “design-build” model in favour of a full design-first approach, arguing that greater investment in project planning leads to higher-quality infrastructure and lower long-term costs.

“Our objective is for businesses to receive fair compensation, while the state and citizens receive high-quality infrastructure that lasts for decades and requires only routine maintenance rather than major rehabilitation after just two or three years,” he said.

Zhorzholiani added that the reformed procurement system leaves no room for anything other than high-quality work and said Georgian construction companies should become associated with “durable, high-standard” infrastructure.