CHC out of Stornoway coastguard rescue contract 14/1/13
CHC, the present operator of the coastguard helicopter service, has been ditched
as a bidder for a new search and rescue contract.
Aberdeen-based Bond Helicopters and American-owned Bristows are the two runners to
take over the UK's helicopter search network in 2017.
Canadian group CHC Helicopter will cease to have a presence at Stornoway and Shetland
from this July when an stop-gap contract will be operated by Bristows.
CHC was dropped from the procurement programme after the other bidders undercut them
by 20% cheaper in the first round thus disqualifying CHC from proceeding to the next
stage.
The announcement of the contract winner is due in Spring this year.
Initial plans for a civilian consortium to take over the contract under a UK-wide
rescue harmonisation were thrown out by the Coalition government amid accusations
of irregularities. Police launched a probe into how the consortium got hold of commercially
sensitive information.
Under existing arrangements, UK search and rescue is provided jointly by the Ministry
of Defence (MoD) - operating a fleet of Sea King helicopters from eight military
bases, with a further four civilian bases, including Stornoway and Shetland, operated
under contract to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).
Future arrangements will see the end of military involvement in a dedicated helicopter
search and rescue service.
The government says this will allow the armed forces to focus their activity on front-line
operations when the fleet of Sea Kings is retired by March 2016.