Thirteen companies or consortia with significant experience in the aviation sector have received the go-ahead to bid on the operation, financing, development, and maintenance of the Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) in Barbados. 

The 13 prequalified bidders are:

1. Companhia de Participações em Concessões S.A.
2. Corporación Aeroportuaria del Este, S.A.S.
3. Corporación Americas Airports S.A.
4. daa International Limited
5. EGIS Projects S.A. in consortium with Bouygues Bâtiment International, Jamaica Producers Group Limited, and Eppley Limited
6. Ferrovial Airports International SE
7. Groupe ADP
8. Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte, S.A.B. de C.V. (GACN)
9. Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico
10. Incheon International Airport Corporation
11. Schiphol Nederland B.V.
12. Vantage Airport Group Ltd.
13. VINCI Airports in consortium with Williams Industries

The prequalified bidders will receive the Request for Proposals (RFP) and bidding documents for the GAIA Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project when the bid process is launched later this year.

The Invitation for Prequalification was publicly launched on February 3 in the local and international press as the first phase of the international competitive bidding process for the further development of GAIA through a PPP and followed a rigorous due diligence process completed last year. In essence, the prequalification phase invited companies to a first-round to evaluate if they were qualified to bid on running the airport.

In light of the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, several prospective bidders requested extensions for the submission of applications. As a result, the submission deadline was extended to May 11 for e-submissions and May 29 for hard copy submissions. Fourteen applications were received in total.

These prequalification applications were evaluated by an 11-member Bid Commission comprising three sub-committees: Technical, Legal, and Financial.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a private sector arm of the World Bank which is advising GAIA Inc. and the Barbados Government on the structuring and implementation of the PPP,  shadowed the evaluation of the applications for prequalification and supported and advised GAIA Inc. and the Bid Commission during this process.

The final say by GAIA Inc. and Government on which operator will be awarded the contract will be based on the outcome of the evaluation of bids received, against the pre-established criteria.

The tender is slated to be awarded in the first half of next year with the signing of the concession agreement to take place within a month after that.