MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands launches tender for replacement of port facility FIPASS

FIPASS, the obsolete port terminal from the Falklands, which government and the private sector want to renew (Pic FIG)

FIG today launched a tender for the provision of a new port facility for the Falkland Islands. The tender process was approved by Executive Council in February 2023, and today’s launch follows months of work with professional advisers and engagement with existing port users to refine the specification and provide both FIG and prospective tendering companies with a robust and complete model of what the Falklands needs from its port facility, looking decades into the future.

 The tender is for a floating dock system in the same location as FIPASS, prioritising an initial return to 300m berthing face and with a requirement to have delivered 400m by the end of any build period. This accords with predictions of the need for berthing space identified by key port users.

Any company wishing to tender for this major project should preferably be based in the Falklands themselves, or form a meaningful partnership with a Falklands company – information that forms a key part of the evaluation criteria that will be applied to all submitted bids. Other key factors for evaluation include overall costs, methodologies for delivery, and plans to minimise disruption to existing port operations.

The tender issued today does not include the access road and causeway. As per ExCo’s decision, an options appraisal for these elements is currently underway and a recommendation for both the location and the tendering process will be submitted to ExCo for approval later this year.

The timetable for this tender is two months for responses to be received, followed by up to two months of clarifications and evaluation before a recommended option is presented to ExCo, along with full costs, for their decision. This timetable may stretch if tendering companies request more time to respond.

As is standard with tenders of this nature, the full documentation is not publicly available as it contains commercial sensitivities. Any company interested in bidding can register on the procurement system used by contacting FIG’s professional.

Also, in February 2023, ExCo approved dedicated funding for remedial works to FIPASS to ensure continued safe operations throughout the tendering and build period for a new port facility. This work, managed by Atlink on behalf of FIG, is already underway and is separate to this tender process.

Any local business or individual who would like to know more about the project or this tender process is invited to contact the Port Project Team.