The Governing Board of the Badia del Vallès City Council approved on Wednesday the award of lots 1 and 3 of the first phase of asbestos removal from the city's buildings. The selected bids correspond to UTE Vilà Vilà-Urbà Complet and UTE AGD Magma, respectively. This decision will allow work to begin on 102 apartment blocks, while the award for lot 2, which includes an additional 25 blocks, is pending a new evaluation of offers in the coming weeks. This project represents the first asbestos removal operation of this magnitude in Europe.
Lot 1, with a maximum budget close to 1.1 million euros, will focus on removing galleries and pipes containing asbestos from 24 apartment blocks. The work will be carried out using scaffolding and a static containment system, employing HEPA-filtered depressors to prevent fiber emission. Residents will only need to keep their windows closed during the work, with no impact on access.
Lot 3, with a maximum budget of just over one million euros, involves the removal of asbestos from 78 blocks using vertical work techniques. Once the contracts are formalized, the companies must submit their work plans to the Labor Authority for validation.
The Valles council has reported that it has already provided all documentation to the Labor Authority to expedite the validation of the plans. Informative meetings have also been held with the 127 affected homeowners' associations to explain the process and obtain the necessary authorizations.
The resolution of lot 2 has been delayed due to an issue with documentation submitted by one of the bidding companies, which did not allow for the accreditation of the award criteria. The Local Governing Board has decided to revert the proceedings to the offer evaluation stage, and the new award is expected to be completed in a few weeks.
The total cost of this work will be subsidized by the Waste Agency of Catalonia, as part of a 4.4 million euro grant awarded by the Generalitat de Catalunya for the complete eradication of asbestos from the city's apartment blocks.
