Korea Expressway Corporation Launches Bidding for Eight Pilot Highway Rest Areas

The Korea Expressway Corporation announced on July 31 that it has begun the bidding process for eight pilot highway rest areas, following the restructuring plan for rest area operations announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on July 9.

The pilot rest areas include Yeoju (Incheon direction), Daecheon (Seoul-Mokpo direction), Gunwi (Busan direction), Jangyu (West Busan direction), Wolchulsan, and Hapcheonho (Hamyang-Ulsan direction). The pre-bid specifications for leasing specialized stores will be available through the Korea Expressway Corporation's electronic procurement system from July 31 to August 6.

The new pre-bid specifications aim to improve the existing commission structure, which involved a chain of contracts from the Korea Expressway Corporation to operating companies and then to stores. Under the new plan, the corporation will directly contract with food courts, snack shops, coffee corners, and convenience stores. Bidding will be conducted either individually or in a consolidated manner, taking into account sales volume, location, and operational characteristics of each rest area.

The selection process for operators will also undergo a complete overhaul. Instead of focusing solely on rental price bids, the evaluation will now consider food quality, service, and reasonable pricing proposals. Factors such as compliance with recommended business types, proposed product pricing and implementation plans, and hygiene certifications will be combined with bid prices to determine the highest-scoring bidder.

To enhance fairness in the bidding process, measures have been implemented to exclude certain participants. Corporations represented by individuals who have retired or are currently employed by the Korea Expressway Corporation, as well as their spouses and direct family members, will be strictly barred from bidding. The corporation is also working to amend its articles of incorporation to prohibit participation from companies established by retired employee groups. Additionally, the evaluation committee responsible for assessing service capabilities will consist entirely of external experts to ensure professionalism and impartiality.

The Korea Expressway Corporation aims to launch the pilot operations in December, with plans to complete the selection of operators by September following the bidding announcement in August. A briefing for interested bidders will be held on August 6 at 2 PM at the Korea Expressway Corporation's training center auditorium in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.

A representative from the Korea Expressway Corporation stated, "The release of these pre-bid specifications marks the first step in restructuring rest area operations. We will conduct the bidding preparation and operator selection process fairly and transparently to ensure noticeable service improvements at the eight rest areas for the public."

Meanwhile, the Korea Expressway Corporation's board of directors recently decided to establish principles for direct contracts for each corner, aiming to improve pricing and service quality by eliminating the multi-tiered operational structure in rest area management.