The Government of Jamaica (GOJ), through the Ministry of Transport and Mining, has shortlisted eight bidders for Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) PPP project.

The teams shortlisted are:

1. Vinci Airports;
2. Cedicor;
3. Acciona Concessiones and Airports Company South Africa (ACSA);
4. GMR Infrastructure;
5. Zurich Airport International and A-Port Operaciones;
6. Grupo Aeroportuario Del Pacifico;
7. Corporacion Aeroportuario Del Este and China Harbour Engineering Company;
8. Egis Projects, GraceKennedy Company Jamaica and Lagan Construction International .

Jamaica Infra Development Partners Limited also has submitted applications for the project. The pre-qualified firms will submit their bids in November. and the projects is expected to be awarded in March 2018.

As we reported in February, the GOJ, through the Ministry of Transport and Mining launched the tender process to seek a private sector operator to operate, finance, develop and maintain the airport under a long term concession agreement.It is the third time that a tender process has been launched. In 2014, GOJ initiated the process but it was terminated to effect an administrative modification to the prequalification documents. In 2015 a new invitation for pre-qualification was issued and five teams were shortlisted (Cedicor SA; Zurich Airport International and A-Port Chile; Korea Airport Corporation Latin America and GK Capital Management; China Harbour Engineering Company and daa International; and Corporación Aeroportuaria del Este, Jamaica Producers Group and GBG Energy). However, no bids were submitted and the goverment re-launched the tendee process.

NMIA is currently operated under a 30-year concession agreement signed in 2003 between Norman Manley International Airport Airports Limited (NMIAAL) and Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ). Around the same time, AAJ also initiated a 20-year Master Plan which was updated in 2013 in preparation for the current Transaction. To date, AAJ has invested approximately USD $150 million in the expansion of NMIA, including construction of a new departure terminal, a cargo terminal, and airside improvements.