In the preliminary report accessed by Lusa, the jury led by Sofia Simões awarded a score of 95.2523 to the Clece/South consortium, part of the Iberia group, while Menzies (formerly Groundforce) received a score of 93.0526.
Acciona, which also submitted a proposal, was excluded due to certain documents not meeting legal requirements.
The preliminary report issued by the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) noted that one of the criteria for selecting the winner involved presenting tables identifying the minimum number of material resources (NMM) and human resources (NMH) “to be allocated to baggage handling, cargo and mail assistance, and runway operations assistance, by airport, for two theoretical scenarios.”
In this area, labeled as a theoretical exercise with two scenarios per airport, the Spanish consortium Clece/South scored better than Menzies, although the scores for other evaluation criteria—material and human resources—were equal.
These latter criteria evaluated factors such as environmentally friendly equipment, equipment age, worker experience, and the number of employees with permanent contracts.
“After analyzing the proposals submitted, the jury proposes the selection of the bidder whose proposal ranked first, Clece, S.A.,” according to the document, “to provide ground handling services to third parties for a period of seven years” at the airports of Lisbon, Porto, and Faro.
“Competitors are further proposed to submit written comments, if desired, within a maximum of five working days from the date of the availability of this report on the electronic platform, under the right to a prior hearing,” it highlighted.
In a statement released today, Menzies Aviation said it was “formally notified of the preliminary report results issued by the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) concerning the tender for renewing licenses at the three mainland Portuguese airports – Lisbon (LIS), Porto (OPO), and Faro (FAO)” on Wednesday, the company stated.
“Menzies regrets this outcome and disagrees with the awarded score,” the company assured, indicating that it believes its proposal “demonstrates proven operational excellence, continuity, and a fully qualified workforce of more than 3,500 employees who consistently deliver high safety and quality services to customers and the community.”
The company recalled that since the acquisition of SPdH (formerly Groundforce) by Menzies Aviation in 2024, it “has maintained strong operational performance, high compliance standards, and constructive labor relations, supported by a Corporate Agreement that protects employee rights and ensures service stability.”
The group believes its proposal “represents the overall best value and lowest risk for ANAC and the general public.”
“Based on the analysis of the other submitted proposals, we consider there are multiple objective and technical grounds to challenge the ANAC preliminary report as per the timelines established by the tender procedure,” it emphasized.
[Updated at 17:56]
