The fact that Caledonian MacBrayne is winner of the ferry tender doesn't come as a suprise since they were the only ferry operator left in a complicated and controversial process where several operators could bid on the 24 Clyde and Hebridean routes. It all started a few years ago when the Clyde and Hebridean routes were put out to tender due to European regulations for an open market. Since every ferry company deserves a fair chance a tender document was drawn up and three ferry operators joined this tender, being Calmac, V-Ships and Western Ferries. The operators were supposed to bid on the 24 routes and the cheapest, best performing operator could win this bidding process. It was clear from the beginning that Calmac had the best chances, after all they were the current operator of the 24 routes and are a state owned, heavily subsidised, company. It didn't took long before Western Ferries pulled out of the process followed a few months later by V-Ships leaving Calmac as the sole bidder of the tender. Today BBC announced that ferry operator Calmac has officially been awarded the contract.
The winner and the losers
A quote from BBC: Ministers have confirmed that ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne has been awarded the contract to run the Clyde and Hebrides services. State-owned CalMac, which already operates the services, was forced to tender for the routes in a bid to satisfy European competition rules. After a parliamentary battle, the previous Labour/Lib Dem administration finally persuaded Holyrood that offering CalMac routes to the private sector was the only way of satisfying EU competition demands.
Despite bitterly opposing the process, the incoming SNP administration decided to see it out as the quickest way of settling the six year contract, which last year cost the taxpayer about £30m. The announcement on the Clyde and Hebrides routes was followed by criticism from a senior councillor on the Western Isles. Comhairle nan Eilean Siar's chairman of transportation, Donald Manford, said he was disappointed a route from the isles to the mainland had not been included. He said: 'I am pleased that this whole beauracratic process has finally been brought to an end though saddened that millions have been spent on unnecessary paperwork rather than on improving services'.
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