3.4 BSEK Tunnel Contract

E4 Förbifart Stockholm is a major infrastructure project aimed at constructing a strategic ring road around Sweden's capital, Stockholm. The project, being overseen by the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket), is set to significantly improve traffic flow in the greater Stockholm area. As part of this enterprise, one of the notable contracts involves the construction of a six-kilometer road tunnel with dual passages and an additional seven kilometers of ramp tunnels, collectively known as FSE305 Bergtunnlar Lovö. The total estimated value of this contract is approximately 3.4 billion SEK.

Delays and Contractor Changes

The construction work on this segment of the project commenced in the summer of 2020 and was initially anticipated to be completed by December 2024. AF Gruppen, a Nordic contracting and industrial group, was selected to execute this challenging tunnel project based on their strong track record in tunnel construction in Sweden. However, the project has faced multiple challenges, including a history of contractor changes and delays caused by administrative issues.

Audit Hindered by Delays

In the autumn of 2021, Trafikverket initiated a review of the Lovön subsection of the E4 Förbifart Stockholm project to identify potential improvements in working methods. The consultancy firm Pontarius was tasked with conducting this review. However, the auditors faced significant obstacles due to delayed access to critical project documents. It took half a year to gain access to the project portal, and even then, many documents remained classified as confidential, greatly hindering their review efforts.

Audit Terminated, Cost 1.4 MSEK

After encountering persistent issues with document access, Trafikverket and Pontarius decided to terminate the review. Despite spending 1.4 million SEK on the incomplete report, the findings were insufficient. Trafikverket clarified that the termination of the contract with AF Gruppen was not influenced by this unsuccessful audit but was instead based on other unspecified reasons.