Sage words Jimf indeed. Bristow were always going to fight to the death. Conspiracy theorists can and will dwell on CHC's bidding tactics, and often it can be more than meets the eye, especially if you think you are going to lose anyway.
Crab anyone has to admire your stubborn persistence and continued cynicism about the DFT and MCA. Anyone would think you had been working for them. Oh no I forgot, you haven't or you wouldn't be writing on here would you. What I know is that your endless lowest bidder twitterings are not supportable in this case. Government contracts can work that lowest cost way, or by the best value for money approach. By EU law they have to decide which, and my understanding is that the SAR competition is being run under the value for money approach. Of course, no government is going to pay a too high price (CHC?) but neither can the UK government simply go for the lowest tender. If you check out the evaluation rules on the DFT's website (yes I know its sad that I have bothered to) it makes this clear and also is clear what rules are used to eliminate those bidders that are simply too costly. Finally in this day and age it is simply ridiculous to imagine that either remaining bidder will bid too low and undermine themselves and if you think so you simply have no idea how the funding or senior management of the big commercial helicopter companies work these days.
