Bristow is preferred candidate for Irish SAR

The Government of Ireland announced that it will offer a contract to provide the SAR services of the Irish Coast Guard (IRCG) to Bristow Ireland, on the recommendation from Minister of Transport Eamon Ryan and Minister of State Jack Chambers.

The €670 million (US$714 million) contract would see a Bristow operate four Irish Coast Guard (IRCG) bases in Dublin, Shannon, Sligo and Waterford, providing day- and night-time helicopter SAR for the next 10 years. The contract would also cover the provision of fixed-wing SAR for the first time, for a period of five years.

The contract will cost substantially less than the €800 million figure initially outlined by the government when the tender was announced in January 2022.

The tendered contract would enable both fixed-wing and rotorcraft services to be extended up to a maximum of 13 years. However, provisions have been included for the Irish Air Corps to take over the fixed-wing element after the initial five-year period.

Bristow will reportedly work with the Irish Department of Transport over the coming weeks to finalize the contract. The company will replace previous operator, CHC Ireland, which took over the provision of IRCG SAR services in 2012.

The government stated that the announcement follows a comprehensive procurement process that included an ‘initial market engagement process, a prequalifying process, an initial Request for Tender, a negotiation process, and a final evaluation of a Best and Final Offer Tender from the shortlisted bidder’.