One of the four final bidders for the contract to manage Nassau International Airport appears to have ‘jumped the gun’ by publicly stating that it already “operates and maintains” the airport – a statement the Airport Authority yesterday described to The Tribune as ”totally incorrect”.
The International Air Transportation Conference, which is being held on July 25-28 in Washington, D.C., has as its keynote speaker, Rudolph Shackelford, a senior executive with Serco Aviation Services, a company that is part of the Bahamas Aviation Services bid to manage Nassau International Airport.
In Mr Shackelford’s biography, he is described as Serco Aviation Services’ senior projects manager for the Bahamas.
It added that he was ”responsible for the company’s airport management operations in Nassau and the development of related business in the Bahamas and the Caribbean”.
The apperance of Mr Shackelford’s biography on the Internet website advertising the conference is likely to raise questions about whether he is ‘jumping the gun’ on the Nassau International Airport contract bid or whether he and his group know something others do not. It also begs the question of bribes and kickbacks in the awarding of government contracts.
When contacted by the Tribune yesterday, Idris Reid, the Airport Authority’s acting general manager, said the interview process involving the four final bidders had yet to begin and Mr Shacelford’s biography was totally incorrect.
The other three final bidders for the Nassau International Airport (NIA) contract are YVR Airport Services (YRVAS), a subsidiary of the Vancouver Internatiomal Airport operator; Fraport AG; Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide; and the Bahamas Airport Management Group, which is the vehicle for the Ottawa Airport Authority.
The new operator was supposed to have been chosen by June 1, but the interviews with the four finalists have yet to begin. Mr Reid said yesterday these would start shortly, but declined to specify a date. Some 40 firms initially expressed interest, but only nine supplied bids by April 5 — the deadline for all first-round offers to be recieved. ﾠﾠ
