HeliHub.com
3 Feb, 12The BBC has announced that Bristow Helicopters are to take back the two Scottish bases of the British SAR service from 2013 to 2017 - the "GAP SAR" contract as it has been known. CHC are understood to retain the southern bases at Lee-on-Solent and Portland for the same period of time - The BBC story says that Bristow have won the Scottish bases, and industry sources are pointing to CHC retaining the southern two.
Over the last few years huge efforts have been put in to a new nationwide SAR contract with the UK Government handing over all SAR work to a commercial contractor for a 25 year period, three quarters of the work being taken from the military. One particular consortium known as Soteria (based around operator CHC) was chosen as the "preferred bidder" but the whole thing fell apart when irregularities emerged and various statements were issued including this one from February 2011 concerning police involvement in the investigation of the way Soteria conducted their bid.
Having already reached the point of one "preferred bidder", but with that bidder "named and shamed", the Government had no option but to open the whole competition back up again with a new start date for the 25 year contract - set at 2017. This created the interim situation referred to above - "GAP SAR
Related Posts
- HeliRussia – First Kamov Ka62 to fly by August
- HeliRussia – Transas Aviation to provide locally-made GPS for Bell 407, 429
- HeliRussia – Exclases Holdings signs for a GrandNew
- HeliRussia – Exclases signs for five AW139s
- HeliRussia – Russia-Peru certification agreement opens up opportunties for Helisur
- HeliRussia – Russian Helicopters signs agreement with PANH Helicopters
- HeliRussia – Bell expands in Russia
- Helipad in Woodruff to be Discussed Again
- Dart launches Rear Locker Extender for B206 and B407
- Bell-Boeing awarded $40M for long-lead V-22 components
- Night Flight Concepts Launches Industry Specific NVIS Solution Programs
- Kaweah Delta hosts helipad completion celebration
- Register Update – USA – week to 12 May 2013
- Breeze-Eastern to Design and Produce New Winch for MV-22
- RBC makes C$500K donation to STARS
- TAI shows R300 unmanned helicopter
- FLIR Systems awarded $81M US Army contract
- Royal Canadian Air Force begins TigerEx 2013
- Helmet saves Otago helicopter pilot’s life
- Pilot missing after Shandong helicopter hijacked by 20 men
