Cable and Wireless (West Indies) yesterday strongly denied it had withdrawn its bid for the 49 per cent stake in the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC), instead claiming that it had been excluded from the privatisation process as it had not been invited to make a presentation before the Tenders Commission.
Peter Eustace, the London-based head of media relations for its parent company, Cable and Wireless, said the Tenders Commission, the committee formed to scrutinise and evaluate the four preliminary bids for BTC, had made no attempt to contact the company and no formal acknowledgement of its proposal had yet been made.
He added that Cable and Wireless had submitted all the relevant and required documents, including comments on the draft licences in regard to its bid proposal.
James Smith, minister of state for finance, contacted The Tribune yesterday, following the publication of Monday's article and corrected his previous statements
concerning Cable and Wireless (West Indies). He said the company had not withdrawn from the bidding process, adding that it had submitted the required documentation, along with three other bidders, to the Tenders Commission for review.
Source: Yolanda Deleveaux, The Tribune
