VROMI Opens New Garbage Collection Tender Monday

GREAT BAY--The Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure, VROMI, will officially open a new public tender for St. Maarten’s solid waste collection services on Monday, August 17, beginning a second attempt to award garbage collection contracts for the 2026-2029 period after the first procurement process ended without a successful bidder.

Through its Department of Infrastructure Management, VROMI is inviting eligible companies to participate in the Public Re-Tender for St. Maarten Solid Waste Collection Services 2026-2029.

The contracts cover six designated service parcels and include the collection, transportation and disposal of waste, servicing of communal containers, collection of bulky and garden waste, cleaning of collection locations and other related waste-management services.

Tender documents will become available on Monday, August 17. A non-refundable fee of Cg 360 must be paid at the Government Administration Building, Counter C or D. Proof of payment must then be submitted to VROMI before the tender documents are provided electronically.

Participation is restricted to legal entities incorporated as an N.V. or B.V. that satisfy the requirements contained in the tender documents.

An information session for interested bidders is scheduled for September 3 at the Ministry of VROMI's Department of Infrastructure Management at Soualiga Road #1 in Philipsburg.

Potential bidders will have until September 4 to submit questions. Government's responses and clarifications are scheduled to be issued on September 15.

The deadline for submission of bids is Friday, September 25. According to the tender notice, bids are to be submitted electronically through government's Mercell e-Tendering Platform in accordance with the requirements contained in the tender documents.

Second attempt after all 17 bids failed

The new procurement exercise follows the collapse of government's previous tender for the same 2026-2029 solid waste collection contracts.

That first tender was launched in December 2025, with bids submitted by January 28, 2026. Seventeen companies participated, but none ultimately qualified for an award. According to VROMI Minister Patrice Gumbs, 11 bids were eliminated during the initial evaluation for procedural deficiencies, while the remaining six failed to satisfy requirements in the Terms of Reference.

Government subsequently extended the existing garbage collection contracts for six months to maintain continuity of service while a new procurement process was prepared.

The first tender also generated controversy after contractors complained that they learned through media reports that their bids had been rejected before receiving formal notification. The Ministry later acknowledged communication problems surrounding the solid waste and district cleaning processes and apologized to bidders.

VROMI later provided Parliament with more detail on the reasons bids were rejected. These included unsigned documents, missing SZV registration, missing or inadequate business licenses, failure to initial required forms, use of outdated rate forms and failure to incorporate a required addendum. The Minister maintained that the Ministry did not consider the tender requirements overly difficult and said measures were being considered to simplify certain requirements in future tender exercises.

Grant Thornton was also contracted to conduct a broader review of the failed tender process, including the financial feasibility of the proposed contracts and whether the available budget reflected actual market and operational conditions.

The opening of the re-tender on Monday therefore represents the next major step toward establishing new solid waste collection arrangements after months of uncertainty surrounding the country's garbage contracts.

Companies seeking additional information on the new tender can contact VROMI at vromi.publictenders@sintmaartengov.org.

‍