Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and Attock Petroleum Limited (APL) are competing to get the contract of a fuel farm house at under-construction New Benazir Bhutto International Airport (NBBIAP), sources revealed to Business Recorder here on Saturday.
Sources privy to developments revealed that Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has not yet awarded the contract to any Oil Marketing Company (OMC), but both PSO and ARL are making efforts to get the contract. According to a CAA official, NBBIAP fuel farm's storage capacity initially would be around 10,000 tons with the possibility of expansion up to 21,000 tons and the total estimated cost of the farm is Rs 1.5 billion. CAA has already delayed awarding the contract and needs to decide as early as possible, the official said adding that fuel storage capacity construction will take two years while the government is planning to inaugurate the airport before completing its tenure.
Sources said that bids were invited for the establishment of fuel farm, operations and maintenance of hydrant re-fuelling system at the new airport from pre-qualified parties i.e. Pakistan State Oil (PSO), Shell Pakistan and Attock Petroleum Limited (APL). However, only PSO and APL submitted their bids for the project on March 28, 2012 in the office of Infrastructure Project Development Facility (IPDF). The project is being developed as a public-private partnership with Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) laying the hydrant re-fuelling system and the fuel farm would be set up by a private party. The project will operate on open access model where any OMC can supply fuel to airlines against a throughput charge to the fuel farm operator.
CAA is developing NBBIAP near Fateh Jang, District Attock some 30km away from the present airport in Islamabad. Upon completion this airport would be the biggest airport in Pakistan both in terms of passengers and cargo handled annually. The construction of passenger terminal building is underway and the government is hopeful of making this airport operational by 2014.
When contacted, the concerned department of the CAA said that the contract would be awarded on merit and confirmed that it has not been awarded yet to any marketing company. "CAA has yet to appoint a consultant who would evaluate the bids and recommend accordingly," the official maintained.
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