May 9 (SeeNews) - A consortium comprising France's Aeroports de Paris (ADP) and its unit TAV Havalimanlari Holding has proposed the highest concession fee in Bulgaria's tender for awarding a 35-year contract to run Sofia Airport, the transport ministry said on Thursday.
The ADP-led consortium is offering an annual concession payment of some 32.8 million euro ($36.7 million) and plans to invest 903 million euro over the term of the concession, the transport ministry said in a statement.
The second highest concession fee was proposed by a consortium also led by a French company - Meridiam Eastern Europe Investments. The consortium is offering to pay a fee of 24.5 million euro per year but also offered the lowest planned investments, of 608 million euro.
A consortium led by Manchester Airport Group Overseas Investments Limited and including BCEGI Construction announced the highest planned investments in Sofia Airport - 1 billion euro. However, the consortium also proposed the lowest concession fee - 19.9 million euro per year.
Fraport Bulgaria offered a 21 million euro annual concession fee and 615 million euro of investments.
The last offer, submitted by a consortium led by Swiss-based SSB Sauerwein & Schaefer Bau, envisages an annual concession fee of 26.1 million euro. The consortium did not provide information regarding its planned investments.
All five offers are legitimate and will be dully explored, the statement reads.
The financial parameters of the offers will form 55% of the candidates' final marks, while technical criteria will account for the remaining 45%.
Sofia Airport posted a net profit of 12.6 million levs in 2018, up from 11.4 million levs in 2017. The airport operator's revenue grew to 169.2 million levs last year from 148.0 million levs in 2017.
($ = 0.8932 euro)