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GALISBAY--A bidding process for the restructuring of the Port of Galisbay was legal and fair, managers of the port stated yesterday.

They called the press conference in response to allegations that were made by a company that appeared on a local radio station, claiming that the opportunity to bid had not been published sufficiently in the media in French St. Martin, not offering local companies a good enough chance to compete for the contract, and suggested that a bribe may have been accepted before the contracts were given out.

Only one of the three companies bidding to complete the restructuring was based in French St. Martin. The other two are based in Guadeloupe.

“The allegations are absolutely untrue,” said President Jean David Richardson of the Port of Galisbay, which has been in existence since 1995. “If they are unhappy with the bidding process, they should come to us to complain. There are judiciary ways to deal with issues like this. If the situation could not be resolved, they could go to the Court of Arbitration.”

Director General Ellis Alberic explained the bidding process, and said that a notice had appeared in Le Pelican newspaper on May 30, 2014, a month before the deadline of June 30. “By publishing this notice in Le Pelican, we fulfilled our lawful requirement as Le Pelican is the only official [daily – Ed.] newspaper for French St. Martin.”

Four bids were received for the restructuring of the freight port, from three different companies. The bids were made to complete the construction work on two lots, one for an amount of more than one million euros, the other for a much smaller amount, around 100,000 euros. “The lots were separated to also allow smaller companies a chance to bid for the work,” said Richardson.

A first letter of negotiation was sent out on July 3 for the first lot, and on July 8, a similar letter was sent for the second lot. Responses were received shortly after and a decision was taken.

Letters informing all bidders of the decision were sent out on August 8. The Port of Galisbay is awaiting responses from the winning parties. “This delay is normal, especially around the holidays,” said Richardson, who stated he was not in a position to disclose the winning company’s name(s) until notice had been received.

In the meantime, however, the losing company had contacted a radio station in French St. Martin and complained about the way the bidding procedure was conducted.

Richardson explained that the Port of Galisbay had not only looked at which company could provide the cheapest work. He explained that the timeframe, and whether the port could remain in use during the construction work, was also taken into consideration.

“We have 20 companies that work in the port. They are private companies, and it is our priority that their business can remain ongoing as usual. We exist because of these companies. We need to maintain an environment for them to be viable,” Richardson said.

A first meeting with the new contractors will be held on August 27, with building work due to start on September 1. The refurbishment project is financed by the port for 50 per cent, and by European France for the other 50 per cent.

“The developments are important for the economy of French St. Martin,” Alberic said. “We are facing some stiff competition. On September 1, a new port is due to open in St. Kitts, and St. Lucia will open a new port in December to facilitate the turnaround of big ships.”

Alberic and Richardson were visibly upset by the allegations made against the port. “We have integrity and honour,” said Alberic. If anyone is unhappy with the way the bidding process was conducted, we invite them to address this via the official routes.”