Rijkswaterstaat has awarded the variable maintenance of the ‘wet area’ of the Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal plot, a framework contract with 2 market parties, to the combination BAM infra Nederland/Van den Herik and Van den Lee. This lot includes the bridges and locks in the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal, including the Princess Irene Lock.

The Amsterdam-Rhine Canal is one of the busiest canals in the world and an important transit route between ‘t IJ in Amsterdam and the Ruhr area in Germany. To ensure that this connection remains navigable, maintenance of the bridges and locks is necessary. Our maintenance work includes preservation against rust and concrete repair at bridges and locks, damage repair to lock gates, renewal of electronic and hydraulic systems, updating bridge cybersecurity and replacing camera systems and lighting. The start of the maintenance contract is mid-April 2024 for a period of up to four years.

Quality and efficiency
When awarding the variable maintenance contract, Rijkswaterstaat opted not for a prescribed performance contract but for a more flexible framework agreement. The aim is to make it easier and quicker to award specific variable maintenance contracts.
Peter Minnema, commercial manager at BAM Infra Nederland: ‘We are a proponent of this form of contract because it has a positive effect on the preparation and execution time of a project. It also increases the quality and efficiency of our work. And it brings together the available capacity and expertise of Rijkswaterstaat, BAM and Van den Herik.’

Combination BAM and Van den Herik
BAM and Van den Herik are working together on this project. We are doing this on several ongoing contracts for Rijkswaterstaat. For example, on the maintenance of locks, pumping stations, drains and bridges in the Central Netherlands-South on the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal (PARK, 2019-present) and in the Eastern Netherlands on the Twente canals, IJssel Delta and Lower Rhine-Lake (VITAAL 2022-present).

Read the Rijkswaterstaat news release here