Chocks away! Air Force puts bases out for commercial use
Date: 6 May 2007
We have long held the belief that those who read tender advertisements have a pretty good idea of what the news headlines will contain several months into the future.
Consider one along these lines: "Cash-strapped air force lets out facilities to generate revenue."
Sound nuts? Well, fact is the SA Air Force (SAAF) "has identified the need to carry on aviation-related activities that provide long-term, mutually-beneficial relationships with one or more private entities." So it has "made a strategic decision to reduce the cost of ownership of its air bases in an effort to bring the SAAF to an affordable base line by way of exploring alternate service delivery.
"This will be done by way of commercial co-use of the AFB Ysterplaat together with a suitable concessionaire in return for the provision of services with determinable value to the SAAF through a public-private partnership (PPP)."
If that's the start, then watch out Airports Company SA (Acsa). The SAAF has bases all over South Africa. Some, if not all, can handle large, wide- bodied jets.
Interested? If so, get moving. A compulsory briefing session will be held tomorrow, May 7, at 10am in the officers' mess at Air Force Base Ysterplaat, Cape Town.
This tender seems to contain a bit of unmilitary precision: hopefully, attendance won't be restricted to those who already have their terms of reference documents, which are available from the Officer in Charge, Central Procurement Service Centre, corner Stephanus Schoeman and Van Riebeeck Streets, Thaba Tshwane, 0143.
The bids close at 11am on May 21. It isn't stated where bids should be deposited, so get in touch with Pule Gaelesiwe - telephone 012-312-1048, fax 012-312-2017 and e-mail cdfds@lantic.net - who will deal with queries.
Business Times
