CalMac Ferries Ltd, operator of the Clyde and Hebridean lifeline ferry services, is embarking on a fortnight-long period of meetings with stakeholders to inform their bid preparation for the current tendering exercise.

Over the two weeks beginning Monday, February 5, senior CalMac staff will meet a wide range of organisations and community interests from Arran to Stornoway in order to discuss the implications of the contents of the Invitation To Tender which the company has received in relation to the Clyde and Hebridean Ferry Services. Meetings with staff on shore and at sea will also form a key part of the company’s information gathering process, and the meetings will also be used to explain to community councils, local authorities and ferry users’ groups how the ferry services will be operated from October 2007.

CalMac Ferries’ Managing Director Lawrie Sinclair, said: “We are moving into a new era in terms of operating the west coast ferry services, and it is important that everyone is fully informed about the nature of the contracts which will be in place, and the obligations they place on the operator. The Invitation To Tender (ITT) spells out clearly how it is intended that the system will work and who will pay for what. It also, crucially, explains what levels of service we must provide and the services for which we will be paid. We will meet as many groups as possible in as many locations as we can fit in within this period. Beyond that, we are also meeting with key agencies and parties including the Regional Transport Partnerships, the STUC and our unions, NFUS, and the Scottish Crofting Foundation. We would be pleased to receive representations from anyone who may have a view on what the ITT contains, and we will use all of the information we receive to inform our bid, and to produce a submission which will be in the best interests of the communities we already serve, within the parameters set out in the various contract documents.”

Final bids for the tendering exercise are due to be delivered to the Scottish Executive on Friday, May 11, 2007. CalMac Ferries has already met many stakeholders over the last few months in preparation for the bid, and a further meeting of the now disbanded Joint Shipping Services Advisory Committee (SSAC) has been called by CalMac for February 22 to discuss future consultation arrangements.

Mr Sinclair added: “We firmly believe that CalMac Ferries is well placed to win this bid and we are confident that we can launch a robust and innovative bid for the services. This will be based on our record of accomplishment and our strengths of having years of experience of operating lifeline services, with dedicated seagoing and shore-based staff. We are now well on the way towards preparing what we believe will be a winning bid, and this series of key meetings is a key part of our effort in a highly demanding timescale.”

The Invitation To Tender document is available on the Scottish Executive website:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/12/18100005/0

Ends.

For further information on the contents of this News Release, please contact Hugh Dan MacLennan, Head of Communication and Customer Care, CalMac Ferries Ltd.  Tel: 0776 435 4021; e-mail hugh.maclennan@calmac.co.uk.

Caledonian MacBrayne and CalMac are trading names of CalMac Ferries Limited

Issued: Monday, January 29: 0900