Bahrain Meeting 5th October

[Myway or the highway]

I have been watching the ME threads over the past few months with some interest, especially re the Bahrain contract renewal.

Anyway, the 5th October is almost upon us and I hope that DWS or others on the ground there will be able to give us a balls and all recount of what has transpired. I still have doubt that the decision will be made already, but we will see. I do know from contacts that AsA is ultra keen to win this contract and for the Gulf ATC in general would be an improvment to see a change of provider somewhere as it will either sharpen Serco's game or see them wither and die on the vine.:p

you bahrian guys, we await your posts in as much detail as possible re the above as soon as it happens.

People, do you think we can keep to the topic on this thread please and leave the namecalling, mudthrowing and childish tantis outside the computer room. :ugh:
Thanks in advance.

[TinPusher]

I do know from contacts that AsA is ultra keen to win this contract and for the Gulf ATC in general would be an improvment to see a change of provider somewhere as it will either sharpen Serco's game or see them wither and die on the vine
An improvement you say:confused: The old cliche' "Better the devil you know..." comes to mind and frankly given ASA's track history I have serious doubts that if they win this contract you will see any improvement at all.
At least with Serco, what you see is what you get... :hmm:
For ASA to win this I imagine their bid will have to be very sharp indeed and I fail to see how that is likely to benefit the interests of the local industry in general let alone the people working there.
Anyone care to explain to me how they will staff the place given ASA is struggling to keep it's own house in order?

[LazyLLz]

The SERCO/ASA bids were opened on the 04/10/2007


In the words of our Manager “ASA bid came in significantly higher than SERCO bid :D:ok::D, bids are at the tender board for processing”



L_LLz

[London's Control]

Guys,

What will happen - Is SERCO pulling out of Bahrain ATC or is it the CAA pulling out of Bahrain ATC and privatize the whole sector.

Regards,
LCTRL

[Myway or the highway]

Well so much for the 5th and serco letting you guys know where you stand.

LazyLLZ, did your manager indicate when the decision will be made known to all and sundry?:confused:

Fox have you got problem sticking to the topic or are you intoxicated again:*

[RustyNail]

ASA, DFS, NATS, Serco

While change is a good thing in a lot of ways, especially in FIR's that need "attention", sometimes the best way forward is a slow approach from within.

Serco has been in Bah for donkeys years, they have the reputation, trust and inside knowlege of the locals, and therefore are in the best position to make change, albiet slowly.

As Andre Dose discovered with Gulf Air, you can bring as much positive thought, structure and organisation with you to the ME, but the ME is NOT A NORMAL PLACE OF BUSINESS. If you challenge the local "management" with outside ideas you will instantly be met with a brick wall.

DFS will end up butting heads with every local yokel in the place, ASA dosn't have the experience in the ME or the staff, and NATS have thier own problems at home to sort out.

My money is on the long serving and loyal Serco, as Tin Pusher says "better the devil you know".

Over & Out

RN

[throw a dyce]

Nats took over from Serco at Gibraltar.They also have a lot of enroute experience.Serco have dribs and drabs in the UK.Could be interesting (yesterday).

[chevvron]

You mean gisajob hasn't put in a bid?

[Fox3snapshot]

:p Sucker Bids!!!

Serco will get it, they always do!

Its academic, there is some fellah in the Bahraini administration that stands to make some money from an orchestrated shonky contract playoff..........

Serco will always win, they are cheap, available and provide magnificent glossy brochures on their bus companies in South Australia and their sewage works in Kent!

Cue the circus music.......:D

Footnote: I also picked Australia and new Zealand to get through the 1/4 finals so basically I have no credibility.....:{

[Myway or the highway]

Bess or others in BAH,

i guess the question that everyone wants to know is has the decision been made? Obviously not:confused:

do you guys have any idea of when it may actually be made? I see the new moon is due this sunday 14 October, which should signal the end of ramadan (if I am correct) and then surely they can get down to bloody business again.

The fact that the Bahrainis have apparently put out the contract to tender for the first time since Adam was a boy, I hope is a sign they realise something has to be done, and the only way to do this is to bring in a new player via this method, who may possibly have the tenacity, ability to rectify the problem, which it appears Serco doesn't (as it seems with other stations they manage).

serco have only ever been a company that manages their ME ops by reaction or band aid tactics. They know the problems are there, they know they are going to cost money, but then some issue crops up and they use another band aid, hoping it will all go away, while at the same time checking the bottom line has not been adversley affected.

lets only hope that the Bahrain DCA get in some new blood and get the ****e fight there on the road to repair. The controllers there are obviously bloody good at what they do, so I hope the new encumbant will actually be on the floor with the lads and find out what their thoughts are and get their views on how best to fix it, because in reality the coalface usually know what is best.

I am with you Bess

Looking forward to the decision. BTW when is the Serco contract up again?

[Myway or the highway]

so lads, the 5th has passed as has Ramadan and Eid is upon us and still no word from Serco or the Bahrainis:confused: word has it AsA is rather confident;)

whats the latest then?:cool:

[AirNoServicesAustralia]

No matter who is asking, ASA hasn't got a snowflakes chance in hell of getting the contract. The Bahrain contract would be one of the better managed contracts in the Gulf ( I am talking contract management here not operational management as that is another discussion completely), and they seem to retain staff a lot better than we do here in the UAE (something to do with Villas being provided and less penny pinching than goes on here, from what I hear).

Serco will remain in Bahrain until further notice and the only reason the Bahrainis opened the process up for other bidders is to keep Serco honest with their bid.

PMS I guess you'll have to look elsewhere for an opportunity to get back into the Gulf.:ok:

[TinPusher]

I guess with Eid happening nothing will be heard till everyone is back from holiday.

Concerning ASA's bid, reading the latest threads concerning ASA ie: Hello ML Centre and ASA recruitment I am amazed that any bid from them could be taken seriously given they haven't the staff to run their own business let alone the Bahrain contract...:confused:

But what about the others? NAT's and DFS also provided bids.... any idea on how they panned out?

[LazyLLz]

No word on the outcome yet!!


NAT’s withdrew and DFS partnered with SERCO =


SERCO vs ASA



L_LLz

[danceswithsheep]

Lazy.......you know the truth...really.

Hear Ye Hear Ye

8000 BD a month plus housing, plus health, plus car(deals with Mercedes, Porsche and Ferrari), 10,000 BD signing bonus plus open account at Trader Vics(company titanium card). All those interested approach Air Services Australia and ask to be directed to New Contracts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By the way.......let me know what they say!

[thunderfromdownunder]

Question for you guys in Bahrain. What is the current package for new people starting with Serco. And are there any plans for increases next year.

Cheers.

[Myway or the highway]

so we are all still waiting:\

I beleive in the last few months you Bahrain guys were given an better deal.:ok:

DWS or others there care to enlighten us with the basics incl new salary, and what inclusions you get?

[TinPusher]

Care to post some details about what you've heard about the package on offer 123777 because your rumour doesn't match up with what I understand will be the new deal:confused:

[divingduck]

3200 BD per with villa, schooling, medical and flights, or 4000BD and sort yerself out.

How's that for a guess??


It IS a rumour network after all....

[TinPusher]

Bahrain controllers got offered less one can make in the UAE - whilst working double the traffic per sector.
Some single guys scored a bit - thats about it ...
6 more Bahranies to leave soon and rumoured 4 expats
Until the Bahrain bid is announced I don't think it's my place to state what the package from 2008 is likely to be but from your post I inferred you had some hard figures and facts 123777 and thought you might have liked to share them.
So, do you or don't you have some facts to share or are you really a frustrated Air Services Manager doing a bit of fishing in the hope you still might win the contract?:suspect:

DD, that's about the figures I heard except 4200BD/month rather than 4000.

[PMS]

It obvious they wont pay the increase until the end of January, because just in case they lose the bid and have to give 3 months notice, they dont want to be paying the money when there was no need.

One would therefore expect they are expecting a bid announcement by the end of October. One could also summise that they have been given insider info that their bid will be the one, thus the early heads up on the rise...guess we will have to wait and see.

as for the pay, seems to me if you are married with school age kids one would be better off on the BAH contract but if single probably better on the UAE one.

[253]

have been watching this thread for a while and I am somewhat interested moving to warmer climate and applying for Bahrain so have registered and made my first post for enquiry.

did notice that earlier it was mentioned that DFS and Serco had partnered together, does this mean it will be a Serco contract or a DFS contract if they win it?

what if Airservices Australia wins, has anyone had any dealings with these people to date on what they would offer?

thanks

[253]

thankyou mr/ms vercingetorix for your info.

I noticed mr rusty nail post earlier and guess I must pose the question, if Serco have been in the ME for 20 plus years and it appears from this forum have basically made no airspace or other changes in Bahrain or other places for that matter, then why do you think they are the ones to make the changes required?:confused:

me thinks they like a dinosaur and will not change, and that change will be brought about by a new contractor. So the comment about the devil you know is bad because they sit on their hands and so nothing.

Has the contract decision been made yet as I would be interested to test the water and get away from the upcoming winter chill.

[TinPusher]

me thinks they like a dinosaur and will not change, and that change will be brought about by a new contractor. So the comment about the devil you know is bad because they sit on their hands and so nothing.

I don't know that this is an entirely fair comment. What I do know is that on one side they are bounded by Tehran and the other by Saudi and it strikes me that if the Saudi's could be persuaded to reduce the amount of restricted airspace or allow the use of it for overflights above a level, then traffic flows wouldn't be so congested. I'm not sure of how Serco fits in politically (if at all) however for any changes to be made surely it's for DCA and the government to push for these following the advice of Serco (or whoever the ANS provider is).
I doubt that a change in contractor would achieve anything until they got their heads around on how to deal with the fickle locals and neighbours.

Just my 20 fils worth:E

TP

[253]

mr batleur39

I take offence at your remarks about my comments which were reiterated by your last post and I quote:

A few years on it's recommendations seem to be dying a slow death as it's all too much effort to follow through but like I said the new D is trying.

so my comment about the dinosaur hold from my perspective. And either way I dont really care as I only want to work there, whatever the situation. you are right re the new Dubai deal though, Bahrain and so it seems Muscat are the new paupers in the ME.

Moving on can you now tell us who has won the bid or when it will be public.:confused:

[253]

mr batleur

I will call anyone mr or ms or mrs if I want and no you are not my teacher unless I get job there and you my training officer.:rolleyes:

Second, you wont tell probably becuase you dont know, which is most likely or you dont know. just tell all and stop the games.

to other bahrain people, incl mr dances with sheep please be honest with forum and let us in on big secret if there is one.

[MyWayOrTheYak]

So is there any announcement due soon. Has the announcement been made already? I need a job.

[253]

mr bataluer

again I take very big offence to your rude comments. It seems to me you have very big chip on your shoulder, you are not South African by any chance are you, my friend their tell me South Africans have many big chip on shoulders as they think they are better than others which from where I stand is not case, other way around. Even if you arent South African, you are no better than me and all you do is pick up on my english skills, which I have already assessed at 5.

you are very sad person, and if I come there I will not want you as my training officer, what do you call person like you in english, ah yes dick head:D

I dont have any relatives by those names you said, so what do you mean then?


mr/ms vercingetorix thankyou muchly for your interesting and informative information.

why are these people so worried about another contractor taking up residence their?

[Aus ATC]

Any word on which ANSP won (or is on track to win) the contract? My wife keeps asking if we should pack!!
Aus ATC

[ferris]

AsA weren't even close.

[Gebrselassie]

Is that official?

[African Queen]

I heard from a VERY reliable source that the AsA bid came in very close to DOUBLE the Serco bid.

[Gebrselassie]

Interesting then, that Bahrain CAA have not already announced their decision - if it's such a clear difference.

[ferris]

Not really. Just further evidence of the lack of understanding of the situation, from oz, if that's how you read it.

I take it there are people in oz still hoping AsA will get it? (or closer to the mark- believing that AsA were a chance?)

[Fox3snapshot]

Welcome back mate, not much has changed really....unless you are a DXB approach controller :p

They are now willy nilly giving us 10 miles for arrivals! Must be the wonderful weather :cool: Either way...thank you sooooo much DXB and long may it last!

:ok:

[Gebrselassie]

Ferris,

You talk about a "lack of understanding of the situation" and yet you did not (can't or won't?) aid in that understanding. Maybe you can be more helpful in your next post?

Yes there are people hoping ASA will get it, if only because it will get us one step further away from our unappreciative upper management.

Gebber.

[AirNoServicesAustralia]

So you wait for ASA to hopefully get the contract so you can get away from ASA management :confused:

Mate there is an easier way to do that. Resign and come to Bahrain, the UAE, Canada, or if you have an EU passport as of a few days ago Maastricht, and then you are properly rid of ASA management.