Dear Sir,

I am a Canadian who has many ties to Bermuda and follow Bermuda news regularly through The Royal Gazette website.

I have been tracking the deliberations regarding a planned new airport for the Island and the controversy associated with contracting with a foreign entity to design, build and operate the new facility for many years.

I have an extensive background in developing and operating large facilities in Canada using different approaches, including the lump sum tender call, design-build and various forms of construction management.

Recently, in several parts of Canada, the governments have chosen to adopt the public-private partnership approach for major infrastructure projects.

The outcomes have, in most cases, been questionable, according to my research.

The province of Ontario recently claimed significant cost increases and completion delays using this approach rather than the more conventional approaches. In many cases the real winners are the accountants and the lawyers.

By using the P3 approach, Bermuda is in fact selling out the project and the airport itself. It will lose significant control of this important lifeline for the Island.

The private sector in the partnership is solely interested in making money.

Every aspect of the Island is depending upon an airport that will meet current and future needs. The airport must be robust and flexible to deal with the many changes in a global economy.

Bermuda is a unique country and airports are a very specialised business, therefore a project of this magnitude warrants having the best team of airport specialists who can bring their vast knowledge and experience to ensure success.

This project will require several types of management skills and continuous leadership is necessary from beginning to end. I am not convinced that differing political perspectives contribute much.

This project should be revisited and a truly professional approach adopted to take the project from design through construction to completion and handover to Bermuda itself.

A project of this nature could attract significant international media attention and a poor, ill-conceived project could be very harmful to the Island.

The project can meet all prevailing and applicable rules and regulations and can benefit from a well-crafted proposal which outlines all expectations.

If the project is not well planned there could be many serious financial and scheduling ramifications

ANONYMOUS