The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

THE Government will start evaluating all bids for the New Providence landfill management contract this week, with winner expected to be announced in early June.

Anthony Newbold, the Prime Minister's press secretary, said during a briefing yesterday: "The Ministry of the Environment will begin to evaluate the proposals from the companies seeking to manage the New Providence landfill by the end of the week."

He confirmed that the deadline for receiving bids was Monday this week, with all offers opened yesterday. A joint public-private sector committee will evaluate those proposals and, by early June, the Ministry will make an announcement on who the new operator will be.

Seventeen bidders had submitted expressions of interest (EoI) for the New Providence landfill, but just seven qualified for the Request for Proposals (RFP) round.

The seven were Apapa International (Nassau) Ltd, Bahamas Waste, Bahamas WPT Ltd, Eastern Waste Systems Ltd, Marine Contractors Inc, Providence Advisors and Valoriza Sevicios Medioambientales, S A.

However, Romauld Ferreira, minister of the environment and housing, announced in the mid-year Budget debate that just four of the seven had paid the $10,000 non-refundable fee and picked up the tender documents.

The four to do so included at least three groups that are either Bahamian-led or have local participation, as they were Bahamas WTP Ltd; Bahamas Waste; Providence Advisors and the Waste Resources Development Group; and APAPA International (Nassau).

Cedric Scott, the actor, producer and uncle of former Cabinet minister, Jerome Fitzgerald, is listed by Bahamas WTP LTD's website as one of its five principals. Its two other Bahamas-based principals are banker, Ivylyn Cassar, and permanent resident, Fay Russell. The company's physical address is listed as Ms Cassar's Equity Bank & Trust, based in western New Providence.

Bahamas WTP is a consortium that also features two US companies, Delaware-incorporated Ameresco Ltd and Louisiana-based Furnace and Tube Services Inc.

Bahamas Waste is the BISX-listed company of the same name, while Providence Advisors is headed by the well-known local investment banker, Kenwood Kerr. His partner, Waste Resources Development Group, features all the other Bahamian waste disposal groups bar Bahamas Waste.

Mr Ferreira's comments indicated that Valoriza Sevicios Medioambientales, a Spanish-headquartered waste and environmental services provider with significant interests in the Latin American region; Eastern Waste Systems, which appears to be a Florida-based garbage disposal operation; and Marine Contractors Inc have elected not to proceed with bids despite qualifying for the RFP round. Mr Newbold said yesterday that the Ministry of the Environment has identified close to a dozen officials to be trained as prosecutors for the soon-to-be revived Environmental Court. Their training is set to begin this Monday.