Hrpelje-Kozina declares public interest and tenders concession for new kindergarten

The Občinski svet Občine Hrpelje – Kozina has declared the public interest in building the new Vrtec Hrpelje and approved a services concession under the DFBOT model, in which the private partner designs, finances, builds, operates and transfers the facility. The decision was taken at the council’s 27th regular session on 17 September 2026 and is published in the Uradni list Republike Slovenije no. 1460/2026 of 21 September 2026 (official reference EDA 2026-5883032000-0017).

The Odlok o javno-zasebnem partnerstvu za projekt Izgradnja novega vrtca Hrpelje was adopted under article 36 of the Zakon o javno-zasebnem partnerstvu (Uradni list RS, no. 127/06), the Zakon o nekaterih koncesijskih pogodbah (Uradni list RS, no. 9/19, 121/21 – ZJN-3B, 50/23 and 83/25 – ZOUL) and article 16 of the Statut Občine Hrpelje – Kozina. The public interest is grounded in the investment documentation and in the objectives of articles 4 and 10.b of the Zakon o vrtcih. The act is signed by the mayor, Saša Likavec Svetelšek, under file number 007-11/2026-1, dated Hrpelje, 17 September 2026, and enters into force on the fifteenth day after publication.

What the concession covers

The concession covers design (PZI), construction, construction and design supervision, the elaboration for entry of the building in the building cadastre, PID, DZO and obtaining the use permit, together with the outdoor layout of access, parking and paved areas and the remaining green spaces. It also covers management and energy management, current and investment maintenance of the building, premises, installations, equipment and the entire adjoining plot, insurance of the facility, and making it available to the concedent.

The concession explicitly excludes the preschool activity itself: the programme is run by the public institute or another provider designated by the municipality. The priority user of the building is the public institute providing preschool education in Občina Hrpelje – Kozina; other public institutes and associations based in the municipality may also use it with prior consent.

Risk allocation and financing

The private partner bears the risks of design, financing, construction and cost overruns, timely completion and obtaining the use permit, availability and quality of the building, management and maintenance services, actual operating costs, energy performance, and any reduction or loss of the fee for failing contractual standards. Delays caused by the concessionaire do not extend the contractual end date or the payable period.

• The concessionaire finances the construction costs, including design, site preparation, works, permits and the use permit.
• The concedent provides a pre-determined fixed part of the construction financing, in the scope set out in the public tender.
• Current and investment maintenance costs fall entirely on the concessionaire.
• A building right will be established on municipal land in favour of the concessionaire; on termination it must be deleted and the building transferred free of encumbrances.

The concessionaire is paid a fee (uporabnina) for availability and use of the building and for management, energy management and maintenance services, set on the basis of the winning bid. The right to payment arises only after the use permit is obtained, the building is handed over and the contractual availability conditions are met.

Duration, tender and supervision

The management, maintenance and fee period may last at most 20 years from the contractually foreseen date of the start of use, with the end date fixed in advance. The concession is awarded through a public tender run by an expert commission appointed by the mayor under article 52 of the Zakon o javno-zasebnem partnerstvu; the municipal council’s consent is a condition for the selection decision, and the notice of selection is issued by the director of the municipal administration. The municipality reserves the right not to select a concessionaire if no bid is acceptable.

Supervision is carried out by the concedent’s bodies, which may appoint an external expert, and the concessionaire must submit an annual report on the concession by 30 April of the following year. The relationship may end by expiry or termination of the contract, by withdrawal or by buy-out of the concession.

The decision opens a tender covering up to two decades of operation for construction and facility-management firms, while shifting most project risk onto the private partner. For families in the municipality it sets the framework for a new kindergarten whose educational programme remains in public hands.

Source: Uradni list Republike Slovenije, no. 1460/2026, 21 September 2026, section I (official reference: EDA 2026-5883032000-0017).