Gentlemen (I use the term loosely when referring to some correspondents!) here is the deal.
CareFlight came last in the tendering process - the reason - bidders were allowed compliant and non-compliant bids. Compliant bids were purely commercial and allowed no sponsorship - CareFlight could not compete here with large multi nationals. Here's the rub though - in order to get your non-compliant bid looked at you first had to win with a compliant bid!
CareFlight's non-compliant, heavily sponsored bid is the one that would have saved the NSW taxpayers 100 plus million dollars over the life of the contract.
Another rub - unbeknowns to the bidders, there was a "Governance" committee which oversaw the Tender Evaluation Committee, all the hard decisions were referred to the "Governance" committee for resolution - alledgedly one member of the "Governance" committee was the CEO of NSW Ambulance.
It is rumoured that more than one member of the Tender Evaluation Committee was unhappy with the outcome.
Where to now for NSW Health - having bitten off financially more than they could chew they had to secure CareFlight's fundraising to help pay for their new toy's. To the p!ss takers - yes the chocolate wheels and chook raffles are back! To suck up to CareFlight they promised that HIRT could continue - indeed even expand to two machines and that CHC helicopters would prominently display "NRMA CareFlight" logos. Note this is politicians making promises not Ambulance or CHC!
The logic of this astounds me - if it is true that Ambulance wanted to get rid of the burr under the saddle that was CareFlight - how in the wide world would they sanction a privately funded, self responding helicopter service that is going to arrived rapidly to all primaries like a knight on a white charger saying "get out of the way we are here to help" - I don't think so! HIRT is a "trial" at some stage the results will be evaluated and if not satisfactory the plug will be pulled.
Already there are indications that CareFlight fundraisers (unfortunately the best ones) are going to pull the pin - it will be hard to raise funds, particularly in rural areas, to support doctors.
Don't believe Not So, Novel and Lambrain they are only parroting scripts given to them by their bureaucratic masters.
I would suggest that overall CHC and CareFlight's aviation standards are neck and neck with CareFlight winning by a nose on the line.
The system that NSW is going to get will not be as good as CareFlight could have provided when looked at from a medical point of view and will cost the taxpayer, involuntarily, a lot more.
How any rational person can say that the process gave everyone a fair go is beyond me - to quote The Castle "Son, tell him he's dreamin'"
Here endeth the lesson.
GAGS
E86
PS I am an aviation whore - I will consider any offer CHC makes to me.