Ascension : BUSINESS NEWS FROM ST HELENA
Submitted by The Islander (Ascension Island Government) 13.12.2007 (Article Archived on 27.12.2007)

ST HELENA AIRPORT PROJECT –PRESS RELEASE - Two Bids Received for Airport DBO Contract

We are pleased to inform you that by the closing time of 5:00 pm on Friday 30 November we received two bids for the airport Design Build and Operate (DBO) contract; one from each of the consortia who visited the island earlier this year, led by contractors Impregilo S.p.A. and Basil Read (Pty) Ltd.

We will now set about the task of evaluating these bids, and any alternative proposals put forward by the two consortia, to check that they are complete, that they meet all of our requirements, and that they represent value for money.

The first step will be to go through the documents submitted by the consortia and make sure that all the information required in the tender has been provided. This in itself is quite a lengthy task as the bids are complex and run to several volumes.

Once we have determined whether the bids are complete, we will then need to carry out a full evaluation against our requirements for the airport, as set out in the tender documents issued to the consortia. This may take several months, particularly if the consortia propose any substantial changes to the “reference” designs that were provided to help them price their bids.

If, following this evaluation, we are happy that either or both of the bids represent value for money then we expect to enter into negotiations to agree a contract for the airport.

There is still some way to go, but receipt of the bids is an important step towards realisation of air access for St Helena. We will let you know if there are any further developments, but in the meantime no news will be good news as we proceed with the evaluation process.

Sharon Wainwright, SHG Access Project Manager and Nigel Kirby, DFID Access Project Manager