Industry forum to be held on Bahamas Airports PPP Program

Industry forum to be held on Bahamas Airports PPP Program
(FILE PHOTO)

Under PPP program, private partner(s) will operate and maintain airports for up to 30 years while govt will still be the owner

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas has extended an invitation for interested parties to attend an industry forum concerning private operator/developer concessions and related opportunities in connection with the Bahamas Airports PPP Program.

Airport operators, service providers, lenders, construction companies and facility managers are among those likely to be interested in attending a virtual industry informative presentation about the proposed airport PPP program. This briefing, hosted by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, will be held on Monday, June 28, 2021 at 11am (EST) via Microsoft Teams.

Officials from the Commonwealth of The Bahamas will introduce the PPP program and present opportunities available to the industry in the context of future transformation, operations and management of an airport portfolio, which includes the following airports:

  • Grand Bahama International Airport, Freeport, Grand Bahama;
  • Leonard M Thompson International Airport, Marsh Harbour, Abaco;
  • Exuma International Airport, Exuma, Great Exuma;
  • North Eleuthera International Airport, Eleuthera;
  • Long Island International Airport, Deadman’s Cay, Long Island;
  • Great Harbour Cay, Berry Islands; and
  • San Salvador International Airport, San Salvador Island.

LeighFisher, the government’s transaction advisor, will present an overview of the proposed opportunities, partnership structure and the expected timelines for procurement.

 

Airport proponent being sought to transform and operate airport portfolio

The government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas wishes to focus on sustainable and resilient long-term solutions to rebuilding its airport infrastructure throughout the Family Islands of The Bahamas and is seeking experienced, qualified private partners to update, operate and improve the portfolio of airports to drive traffic and revenue growth and further enhance quality of service. Under this PPP program, airport facilities are not being sold; the government and communities of The Bahamas will retain ownership of the airports and a private partner will be granted a concession and lease to update, operate and maintain the airports for up to 30 years.

 

Tendering to be conducted in 2021

The procurement process to find the most qualified airport partner(s) will take place this year through an open, transparent and competitive tendering process. The selection of a private partner(s) by the government will be based on the outcome of an evaluation of submissions assessed against pre-established criteria. The tender is likely to be awarded by quarter one of 2022, with operations handed over thereafter.

Department of Aviation Director Algernon Cargill stated: “This is an exciting process for the Department of Aviation to be leading the PPP process for the government of The Bahamas.

“After several months of planning, we are unveiling in this market briefing information about the PPP process that will be included in a market leading request for proposal.

“Over the past several months, we have received a considerable amount of interest from local and international investors about our airport program and we encourage all interested stakeholders to attend the market briefing and to follow up afterwards with any questions that may not have been answered during the presentation.”

Registration is required for attendance at the conference. Those interested are asked to email P3airports@bahamas.com for more information and to register for the event.