The contract has a duration of 4 years with the possibility of a further year’s extension. Companies will have to adapt to the technological changes that Aena will implement in security controls in the coming years.
Aena has put out to tender the private security service for the network’s 46 airports and 2 heliports in Spain for 1,500 million euros. The award period is four years, extendable for a further year. Initially, the tender has been divided into 13 lots, although this number could change over the course of the process:
- Lot 1: Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (passenger inspection and Fast-Track)
- Lot 2: Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (checked baggage inspection), Madrid-Cuatro Vientos Airport, Valladolid Airport and Salamanca Airport
- Lot 3: Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (Airport Management Centre)
- Lot 4: Barcelona-El Prat Josep Tarradellas Airport (passenger inspection)
- Lot 5: Barcelona-El Prat Josep Tarradellas Airport (checked baggage inspection), Girona-Costa Brava Airport, Reus Airport, Zaragoza Airport, Sabadell Airport and Huesca-Pirineos Airport
- Lot 6: Barcelona-El Prat Josep Tarradellas Airport (Airport Management Centre)
- Lot 7: Gran Canaria Airport, Tenerife Sur Airport, Tenerife Norte-Ciudad de La Laguna Airport, César Manrique-Lanzarote Airport, Fuerteventura Airport, La Palma Airport, El Hierro Airport and La Gomera Airport
- Lot 8: Palma de Mallorca Airport, Menorca Airport, Ibiza Airport and Son Bonet Airport
- Lot 9: Alicante-Elche Airport, Valencia Airport, Region of Murcia International Airport, Almería Airport and Albacete Airport
- Lot 10: Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport, F.G.L. Granada-Jaén Airport and Melilla Airport, and Ceuta Heliport and Algeciras Heliport
- Lot 11: Sevilla Airport, Jerez Airport, Córdoba Airport and Badajoz Airport
- Lot 12: Bilbao Airport, Vitoria Airport, San Sebastián Airport, Logroño-Agoncillo Airport, Pamplona Airport, Seve Ballesteros-Santander Airport and Burgos Airport
- Lot 13: Santiago-Rosalía de Castro Airport, A Coruña Airport, Vigo Airport, Asturias Airport and León Airport
During the term of the contract, Aena will undergo a major technological modernisation process in order to maintain its leading position in airport management worldwide. Specifically, the company will continue to install explosive detection equipment (EDS standard 3) for inspecting checked baggage, in compliance with European regulations. Additionally, security
filters will be modernised, with the implementation of state-of-the-art technologies (EDSCB, ATRS, Remote Screening and biometric systems), to speed up pre-boarding checks and improve passenger experience.
Competitive dialogue
As a new feature, Aena will apply the competitive dialogue procedure in this tender. In this way, the purpose of the service provision will be outlined during the dialogue phase with the candidates, based on a descriptive document that sets out the most relevant aspects of the tender.
Companies now have 30 calendar days to submit their applications for participation, technical and financial bids. In a second phase, a dialogue will be established with the bidders on aspects such as the duration of the contract or the configuration of the lots, among others. Once the dialogue period has closed, the suppliers must submit their final bids.
With this competitive dialogue procedure, Aena aims to give a voice to and involve the potential awardees throughout the process, incorporating their contributions so that the contract is balanced and appeals to the industry.
The security service at the airports in the Aena network has high levels of passenger perception. According to last year’s ASQ (Airport Service Quality) passenger satisfaction surveys, the average rating for this service is 4.23 out of 5, compared to the European average of 4.18.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
