Chamber and committees

Information on passenger fare revenues will form part of tender submissions and considerations. In order not to prejudice bids, this information is considered commercially sensitive until the procurement process is complete.

The profits in each year of the Clyde and Hebrides ferry service contract are as follows:

Profit/loss information on a route by route basis is not recorded.

The total annual value of the Clyde and Hebrides ferry service contract is as follows:

The estimates of the total annual value for the three years the contract was extended:

These are the estimates as agreed when the contract extension was signed in 2013.

The current timeline anticipates bidders submitting initial tenders by the end of July 2015. Following the negotiated procedure on non-mandatory elements of the tender specification, final tenders are anticipated to be submitted by the end of January 2016. The tenders will include proposals in relation to employment and pensions obligations.

The current timeline anticipates bidders submitting initial tenders by the end of July 2015. These tenders will include proposals for passenger service obligations. Following the negotiating procedure on non-mandatory elements of the tender specification, final tenders are anticipated to be submitted by the end of January 2016.

Competitive procedure with negotiation is the preferred procurement process for tendering the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services. It provides for a mandatory service specification, whilst affording the opportunity for bidders to highlight their approach to innovation and service quality. The competitive dialogue process does not prescribe a detailed specification, but one which is informed through dialogue with potential bidders.

Using competitive procedure with negotiation, tenders are submitted before proposals are discussed. Bilateral negotiations take place on the non-mandatory elements of these tenders, which can lead to revisions of the innovative and service quality elements of the requirements sought in further tender submissions. Participants cannot be asked to revise their proposals after the final tenders have been submitted.

The ITT is due to issue in June 2015. The publication of the contract notice, prospectus and pre-qualification questionnaire on 17 February 2015 means that we are now constrained in the discussions we can have with bidders. Consequently, we will not consult bidders on the contractual specifications until the ITT is issued.

Information on contract payments, vessel and infrastructure investment, and annual public subsidy will form part of tender submissions and considerations. In order not to prejudice bids, this information is considered commercially sensitive until the procurement process is complete.

As indicated in my response to S4W-23297 on 3 December 2014, when the Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) scheme is rolled out to the entire Clyde and Hebrides network, the estimated total annual cost will be between £13.4 million and £15.2 million.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

The answer to question S4W-24448 on 17 February 2015 announced the start of the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services procurement process. The invitation to tender is due to issue in June 2015. This will confirm the specification for services being tendered and will include employment and pensions specifications and conditions to the extent legally permissible. This part of the specification will not be negotiable under the competitive procedure with negotiation procurement process.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

The decision was taken after consideration of the European Commission guidelines (2014) on the interpretation of Council Regulation 3577/92 applying the principles of freedom to provide services to maritime transport within members states (marine cabotage) and discussion with potential bidders to ensure the best ferry services for those that use the Clyde and Hebrides network.