Bahrain Airport Company has awarded the UAE-based Marhaba hospitality services provider a five-year concessional contract to cater for the hospitality services at the Bahrain International Airport (BIA).
“In March 2010 Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) was given the mandate to operate Bahrain International Airport. Part of that mandate is to make the Airport commercially successful in what is a very competitive industry. That success will be driven by managing costs and delivering new successful services and products that will increase revenue. All of this must be part of delivering great customer service,” BAC in a statement said.
“This five-year concession will be within the control and supervision of Bahrain Airport Company and there are set requirements that Marhaba must deliver to satisfy the contractual obligations and fulfill the objectives of the concession,” BAC in a statement asserted.
“As part of our desire to support local businesses, it is also mandated that Marhaba will offer their products through local travel agents offering them more services to sell, which will in return bring more income to the travel industry in the Kingdom,” it said.
“To achieve our objectives, we have been investing substantially in creating clear standards and guidelines that will make sure that we are delivering the most efficient and cost effective services for our passengers, other users of Bahrain International Airport and the Kingdom of Bahrain,” it added.
“Part of doing this is creating a transparent process to select suppliers and operators, who are required to provide the highest quality of services that will commercially complement the airport and allow BAC to keep investing in its services, assets and facilities,” the statement added.
Marhaba made the winning bid for Bahrain International Airport’s “Meet and Assist” services, which was sourced using a rigorous tender process. A number of local companies were invited to bid where some of them declined the invitation and others were found not viable commercially, which is why Marhaba was the logical selection to be chosen as the operator that will best help enhance the airport’s passenger services.
“The Marhaba offer was superior in quality to the other bidders and was backed up with evidence of their existing successful international delivery across other international airports. Further, their commercial offer was significantly better than the other bids and will deliver improved income to reinvest into the airport development.
“The Kingdom of Bahrain has been known worldwide as the most open economy in the Middle East, a reputation created through consistently delivering on fair competition. Artificially favoring local suppliers with inferior bids is not sustainable in an economy like “Bahrain that relies on trade and will not deliver the government’s ambitions for a diverse and successful economy driven by private sector success. Bahrain in general and the airport in particular rely on international trade and the standards we deliver should reflect the highest international standards.”
“BAC intends to deliver the highest standards of service in the most commercially sustainable way and we hope that all in Bahrain will benefit greatly from that,” it added.