ANI kicks off concession of airport infrastructure with consultancy tender

Colombia's national infrastructure agency ANI has kicked off the process to concession airport infrastructure across the country by calling a first consultancy tender, the agency said in a statement. The tender aims to award a contract for the feasibility study and the technical, financial and legal structuring for the concession of five regional airports: Barranquilla's Ernesto Cortissoz international; Armenia's El Edén international; Neiva's Benito Salas Vargas; Popayán's Guillermo León Valencia; and Cartago's Santa Ana airports. The consultancy has a referential budget of 1.55bn pesos (US$850,200), and will be the first of its kind for ANI, and the first tender assigned under the new public-private partnership (PPP) law approved earlier this year. As part of the government's efforts to revamp the concession system for public infrastructure, ANI replaced national concessions institute, Inco last year as the official entity in charge of concessions. The presidential decree that created the new agency stipulated that ANI will absorb the national aviation authority, Aerocivil's role in airport infrastructure over a two-year period. A clarification meeting for the consultancy is scheduled for November 19, while written clarifications are due November 14-29, with responses scheduled for December 3. Proposals are due December 4, and the winning bid will be announced December 21. The awardee will have 16 months to complete the studies, according to information published on the national procurement portal. Click here for more information on the tender, in Spanish.