The ruling, issued after a hearing on an appeal filed by Track Tec, a Polish rail infrastructure supplier, means the procedure for the Białystok–Ełk section remains unresolved and could face further review and appeals. The Rail Baltica project is one of the most important rail investments in Poland and forms part of a broader route linking the Baltic states with the rest of Europe. The tender has already gone through several reversals: earlier, the Torpol–Mirbud consortium, specializing in railway infrastructure and general building projects, submitted the lowest‑priced offer, more than 400 million złoty below the next bid. But KIO later excluded that consortium after an appeal by the Budimex–PORR consortium, citing the omission in tender documents of information about a 15,000 złoty environmental fine imposed on Mirbud in 2022. Mirbud argued at the time that the decision was disproportionate, given both the size of the fine and the gap between its bid and competing offers, and said it would pursue further legal action, including a complaint to the Regional Court in Warsaw. KIO has now upheld Track Tec’s appeal against the selection of Budimex, excluding the company from the procedure and leaving the final outcome of the tender open. The case has drawn attention because of the size of the contract and the large differences between the bids, with the outcome likely to affect both the contractors involved and the ultimate cost of the publicly funded project.