Extract from the FT
Helicopter rescue bidders cut to two - FT.com
The £3bn contest to run the UK’s helicopter search and rescue services for up to 13 years has been reduced to a race between two operators, after the government threw out a bid that would have cost the taxpayer a fifth more than at least one other.
The Department for Transport told British Columbia-based CHC Helicopter last month that it was no longer in the running.
The company was underbid by 20 per cent by one of its shortlisted rivals – Bond Offshore Helicopters, based in the UK, or New York-listed
Bristow Group. According to a provision in the invitation to tender, this big a difference triggers dismissal.
One person close to the process said he was surprised by the size of the difference, given that all the operators should be able to secure financing for a similar cost, and that the prices of the helicopters were also unlikely to vary significantly between groups.