Tender process 'a shambles' as no takers found for ferry route

Published on Tuesday 14 November 2006 01:47

THE tendering process for Caledonian MacBrayne's ferry routes was branded a shambles last night, as it was confirmed that no bids had been received for the first service up for grabs.

The Scottish Executive said it was disappointed it had had no offers to run the Gourock-Dunoon route, the future of which is now uncertain.

Neither CalMac, which received a subsidy of 2.5 million to run the service last year, nor Western Ferries, which runs a rival service, had bid by yesterday's deadline, saying they could not run it on a commercial basis.

The stalemate has cast doubt on the tendering of CalMac's other Clyde and Hebrides routes which are going out to tender to meet European Commission competition rules.

Fergus Ewing, the SNP's transport spokesman, said: "This is a complete shambles and its beginning to look like the marine version of the Holyrood process and a waste of millions of pounds of taxpayers' money."

David Davidson, the Conservatives' transport spokesman, said: "The time has undoubtedly come for the Auditor General to step in and instigate a comprehensive review of the Executive's conduct in the tendering of all ferry routes."

Three firms were invited to bid when the Gourock-Dunoon route went out to tender in July.

Ministers said then that if this failed to find a suitable operator, they would go out to tender on the basis of a subsidised service.

CalMac said last night that the current service would continue to operate for the time being.

The Executive said it would ensure the service continued until any alternative arrangements were in place and would investigate options for a future subsidised service.