Call for ferry inquiry

Both northern isles MSPs have now written to Scottish transport and islands minister Derek Mackay calling on him to get Audit Scotland to examine the details of the tendering process for the current ferry contract.

Tavish Scott and Liam MacArthur were speaking out after it emerged earlier this month that the previous operator NorthLink’s bid was returned unopened.

Multinational services company Serco won the six year £243 million contract to operate the lifeline ferries to Orkney and Shetland in May 2012.

Scott said: “It is difficult to understand why the NorthLink bid was not up to the required quality standard.

“That prompts some obvious questions about whether the public purse received value for money.

“I hope that Audit Scotland will look into all aspects of how this contract was awarded, and that lessons will be learnt in good time for the new contract, due just three years from now.

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“This is our lifeline service and the contract must be handled properly. Any suggestion to the contrary must be fully and independently investigated.”

Orkney MSP McArthur added: “It is deeply worrying that an apparently lower bid, from a company already running a good service, was not even examined.

“For many of my constituents, this has raised all sorts of new questions about the procurement procedure followed by the Scottish government.

“In the past, SNP ministers have cited ‘commercial confidentiality’ to justify withholding information about this contract.

“It would appear, therefore, that Audit Scotland is the only body which can get to the bottom of this and I hope that the minister will now agree to such a review.”