At the end of July the bids were opened for an extension of the subway in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia.

News agency Novinite.com said a total of five companies had submitted documents including Vinci; Taisei; Obayashi; Bouygues and a consortium of Mitsubishi/Nishimatsu/Amec. Three bidders were said to have been relegated due to technical shortcomings in their bids, which leaves the final stage of the competition between Taisei and the Mitsubishi/Nishimatsu/Amec group.

Announcement of award is due shortly. The successful bidder will construct two metro stations and 2.5km of subway. The Japanese Bank for International Cooperation is assisting with finance for the project.