The Lithuanian government has released a public tender to supply advisory services for a concessions project concerning three major Lithuanian airports – Vilnius, Kaunas and Palanga.
The consultant is expected to advice on all financial, tax, legal and technical issues arising in the drafting of the concession project, with work starting by January 2016. The concession tender documentation will then be launched in mid-2016.
It is sought that in the project will be led by a qualified and experienced team of 11, including a project manager, an airport infrastructure development expert, legal experts in airport concession projects, legal experts in infrastructure projects, financial experts, technical experts and a transport infrastructure development expert.
The management and development of each airport will be regulated by separate contracts with due regard to the existing airport infrastructure, its condition and composition, operating model, the airport’s regional and national importance, and the interests of the interested parties. The Lithuanian Ministry of Transport and Communications or its assigned airport operator, Lithuanian Airports, would supervise and control the proper fulfillment of the concession contract as well as the concessionaire’s obligations. At the end of the concession period the state would take over the state property expanded and improved by the concessionaire for its management and use.
Eugenijus Kaziliūnas, head of airport network at Lithuanian Airports, said, “Lithuanian airports, in particular Vilnius Airport, will soon reach its passenger capacity; therefore, to exploit and expand the available potential and to service even more passengers as well as to attract new airlines, we need a private investor. We are carefully preparing for a concession and looking for competent partners. We wish to have experts experienced in the management of important and large-scale projects that would assist us throughout all stages of the project.”
The terms and conditions of the open tender indicate that within the past three years the candidates to the consultants of Lithuanian airports must have implemented at least one advisory services contract in a concession project. The consultant’s services must have covered the concession project’s feasibility assessment, drawing-up of tender terms and conditions, representation in negotiations, signing of a consulting agreement and its entry into force as well as financial close. The value of advisory services provided in the framework of the concession project previously accomplished had to be no less than €2m (US$2.25m).