Last updated: 13.03.2026
CPK Airport – new transport hub in Poland
Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (also known as “Port Polska”) is set to become one of the largest infrastructure projects in the European Union, combining a new international airport with a nationwide high‑speed rail and motorway network.
Located in central Poland roughly 40 km southwest of Warsaw, the CPK airport aims not only to relieve pressure on Warsaw Chopin Airport, but also to position Poland as a major multimodal transport hub for Central and Eastern Europe. From a contractor‑oriented perspective, CPK is equally significant for the way it uses advanced procurement tools – especially competitive dialogue – shaping how large, design‑heavy projects are tendered in Poland.
What Is the CPK Airport Project?
CPK is more than “another airport”: it is a national transport‑system programme branded as “Port Polska”, orchestrated by the CPK Capital Group and its central company Centralny Port Komunikacyjny Sp. z o.o..
The core idea is to create a central multimodal node where air, rail and road networks converge, forming a new transport hub supported by a new high‑speed “Y‑line” rail corridor and upgraded motorways radiating across Poland.
Officially, CPK is defined as a strategic investment aimed at:
- building a new airport (CPK “Solidarity Transport Hub”) with a first‑phase design capacity of about 34 million passengers per year, extendable to 100 million in later stages,
- developing a freight‑oriented Cargo City and a surrounding Airport City with hotels, logistics zones and business services,
- integrating regional, national and international rail and bus services into a single travel‑to‑gate solution.
The CPK company’s own description stresses that the programme is meant to create a “modern national transportation system” that integrates air, rail and road in one coordinated framework, reducing travel times and improving connectivity across the country.
CPK Timeline and Project Milestones
While the full CPK construction path is still evolving, several key dates and milestones have been published by the CPK Group and related government sources.
- 2017–2018: The CPK concept is approved by the previous government; the dedicated company Centralny Port Komunikacyjny Sp. z o.o. is established in September 2018.
- 2023–2024: The new governing coalition confirms continuation of the airport element, detailed architectural and technical‑design documentation for the terminal and rail infrastructure is finalised and publicly unveiled.
- 2025: CPK announces a multi‑year investment‑tender plan 2026–2028, with an estimated value of close to 30 billion PLN for 2025 alone and about 40 billion PLN worth of tenders scheduled for 2026.
- 2026: Construction‑permit stage for the airport is targeted, several major construction‑works tenders are launched, including the first competitive dialogue procedures for the passenger terminal and key rail‑related contracts.
- 2029–2032: The tunnel and underground railway station at Baranów (part of the CPK rail link) are scheduled for completion around 2029; the airport itself is currently expected to open no earlier than 2032, later than the originally discussed 2028–2030 window.
Taken together, the schedule suggests that 2026–2029 will be the most intensive period for signing major construction‑works contracts, while 2030–2032 will focus on execution, testing and gradual commissioning.
CPK Tenders and Competitive Dialogue in Practice
CPK uses a mix of standard Public Procurement Law procedures, but for its most complex and high‑value lots it leans heavily on competitive dialogue and other negotiated‑type procedures. This is consistent with the nature of CPK: large‑scale, design‑intensive, long‑duration projects where the contracting authority knows its strategic needs but not the exact technical solution.
The CPK Group’s own Plan postępowań 2026‑2028 (Investment‑Tender Plan 2026–2028) lists dozens of proceedings across airports, rail, roads and strategic‑planning studies, with an estimated total value approaching 100 proceedings above 1 million PLN each and about 40 billion PLN in 2026 alone. Official summaries indicate that these proceedings include:
- open and restricted procedures for standardised services and supplies,
- negotiated procedures with prior publication for more complex technical‑consultancy or specialist‑works contracts,
- competitive dialogue for flagship, design‑heavy construction contracts such as the CPK airport terminal and certain rail‑station structures.
How Competitive Dialogue Works in CPK Projects
For the CPK passenger terminal – one of the flagship contracts – CPK launched a competitive dialogue procedure in 2025, with submissions divided into an initial “request to participate” phase and a subsequent dialogue phase.
After pre‑qualification, CPK invited up to five bidders (organized as consortia) into dialogue, where the parties discuss technical and managerial solutions before the final tender is prepared.
The procedure is structured so that:
- CPK defines its functional requirements (passenger flows, security, sustainability, capacity profiles etc.) but allows bidders to propose different layouts, construction‑sequence, BIM and modular‑expansion concepts,
- dialogue is time‑boxed, after which the remaining participants are expected to submit final tenders based on the agreed‑or‑clarified solution concept,
- the contract is treated as one of the key construction contracts in the entire CPK programme, with an estimated value over 5 billion PLN.
This approach lets CPK leverage contractor‑side innovation while keeping the award process transparent and aligned with EU‑style procurement rules.
CPK Project Conditions and Requirements for Contractors
Beyond the legal framework, CPK introduces several practical and contractual conditions that directly affect how bidders and contractors operate. These are reflected in the tender‑Plan documents, general‑terms‑of‑reference materials, and CPK’s own Code of Contractor Conduct.
Phased Construction and Modular Airport Infrastructure
CPK is being built in phases, with the first phase including:
- two parallel runways of 3,800m each,
- the northern pier (B) for long‑haul Non‑Schengen flights, and central piers (C, D) with flexible Schengen/Non‑Schengen allocation,
- an underground railway station integrated with the terminal, allowing direct access for high-speed trains connecting major Polish cities.
Because traffic forecasts and financing are still evolving, CPK’s documentation explicitly allows for phased implementation and scaling of later piers and infrastructure, which means that many CPK contracts are designed to be modular and scalable, with change‑management and extension‑options built into the conditions.
Sustainability, BIM and ESG Requirements in CPK
CPK’s official communications and tender‑methodology documents emphasise requirements on:
- sustainability and low‑carbon footprint in construction (energy‑efficient buildings, low‑emission materials, waste‑management plans),
- BIM‑based design and documentation for major structures, including 3D models and digital‑twin‑type data flows,
- supplier‑diversity and local‑content policies, framed through CPK’s code of contractor conduct and broader public‑procurement‑law provisions.
These conditions effectively raise the “bar” for participation: consortia must not only demonstrate technical and financial capability, but also show maturity in digital‑construction methods and ESG‑compliant practices.
Legal and Compliance Requirements for CPK Contractors
As a public‑procurement entity, CPK must comply with EU‑style rules on:
- exclusion grounds (for eexample, insolvency, serious misconduct),
- transparency and non‑discrimination,
- use of instruments such as the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) or equivalent national forms.
In addition, CPK’s own Code of Contractor Conduct (Kodeks Postępowania Kontrahentów) sets expectations on ethics, anti‑corruption, fair‑competition and cooperation with the CPK project‑management team; deviation from these principles can affect eligibility in future CPK‑related tenders.
Subcontractors in CPK Projects: Rules, Roles and Opportunities
Subcontracting is an almost inevitable feature of large‑scale CPK‑type projects, and CPK’s documentation and underlying Polish procurement‑law framework explicitly regulate how subcontractors can be used.
The general idea is that the main contractor remains fully responsible for the contract, but may rely on subcontractors for specific technical or geographic components.
Legal Framework for Subcontracting in CPK
Under Polish public‑procurement law, a subcontracting agreement is a formal, written, paid contract between the main contractor and the subcontractor, and it must respect the following principles:
- the subcontractor must also meet the same exclusion and selection‑criteria to the extent that the tasks are subcontracted,
- any changes affecting the subcontracted part must be reflected in the subcontractor agreement, and the subcontractor’s conditions cannot be made less favourable than those in the main contract,
- invoices paid to subcontractors must be settled within 30 days, reflecting broader Polish‑level payment‑protection rules.
For CPK, this means that a consortia‑led main contractor registering 30–40% of the works with subcontractors must carefully document capacity‑sharing, technical‑responsibility allocation and payment terms, and make this information available to CPK upon request.
Types of Subcontractors in Airport Infrastructure Projects
In practice, subcontractors in CPK‑type projects tend to fall into several categories:
- specialist technical subcontractors (e.g., MEP, baggage‑handling systems, air‑navigation‑equipment, rail‑signalling, security‑systems),
- local‑construction firms handling earthworks, foundations or local‑material supply, often brought in to meet local‑content or regional‑development objectives,
- operational‑support subcontractors for logistics, temporary works, environmental‑monitoring, and health‑and‑safety services.
Because CPK’s larger tenders are structured as design‑and‑build or EPC‑style contracts, subcontractors are often engaged at the tender‑preparation stage, through letters of intent or framework agreements, so that the main contractor can demonstrate technical and financial capability without owning all required specialists in‑house.
Strategic Opportunities for Subcontractors in CPK
For smaller and mid‑sized firms, the key implication is that CPK creates a pipeline of indirect opportunities: even if they are not strong enough to bid alone for a 5‑billion‑PLN terminal‑works contract, they can position themselves as preferred subcontractors for the main‑contractor consortia.
To be attractive in such a role, companies should:
- align their documentation with CPK’s Code of Contractor Conduct and ESG expectations,
- invest in BIM‑compatible and digital‑twin‑ready workflows,
- ensure their financial and legal standing is up‑to‑date so that they can satisfy subcontract‑eligibility checks quickly once the main contractor is selected.
Why CPK Matters for Contractors and Infrastructure Investors
Seen from a market‑strategy perspective, CPK is not just a one‑off airport‑and‑rail project; it is a multi‑decade programme that will shape Poland’s infrastructure‑sector dynamics until at least 2035.
The combination of:
- a high‑value tender pipeline (tens of billions of PLN across 2025–2028),
- advanced procurement methods such as competitive dialogue,
- and a modular, scalable approach aligned with the project’s strategic location in Central Europe.
creates both a risk and an opportunity for contractors and subcontractors.
For experienced international‑scale contractors, CPK offers a chance to:
- build a reference project in Central Europe,
- test and refine high‑value‑procurement practices (especially competitive dialogue),
- and establish long‑term relationships with CPK’s project‑management and supervisory bodies.
For international contractors, CPK represents an opportunity to deliver a flagship project and gain experience in complex procurement environments.
For Polish firms, it offers a chance to grow through participation in large-scale consortia and contribute to a planned transport hub that will connect Poland with key destinations such as Berlin and other European markets.
How to Track CPK Tenders and Investment Opportunities
For readers interested in practical tracking, CPK’s official Polish‑language website (portpolska.pl) is the primary source for:
- the Plan postępowań 2026‑2028 (Investment‑Tender Plan 2026–2028),
- links to current tender‑announcements and documentation,
- the Code of Contractor Conduct and related corporate‑governance materials.
Supporting secondary sources, such as Polish infrastructure‑news portals and sector‑reports, provide additional context on timelines, values and market reactions, but they should always be cross‑checked against CPK’s own official pages.
CPK Summary: A Strategic Airport Hub in Central Poland
In summary, CPK is much more than a symbolic national project-it is a large-scale, long-term programme that is reshaping how infrastructure is planned and delivered in Poland.
Its integrated approach – combining airport, rail and road systems – creates a new transport hub designed to improve connectivity, enhance passenger experience and support both passengers and visitors travelling across the country.
With a focus on functionality, architecture and user comfort-visible in features such as the landside interchange plaza, access to natural light and the use of lush greenery-the project aims to set new standards for infrastructure design.
At the same time, the structured use of competitive dialogue and subcontracting ensures that the project can adapt and evolve as it progresses, delivering both innovation and efficiency at scale.
