Bulgaria’s Watchdog Will Not Stop Tender For Hiring Medical Helicopters

Bulgaria’s competition authority turned down a request of local company Welink to suspend a 1.76 million euro ($1.88 million) tender for hiring an emergency medical services helicopter under dry lease.

The Commission on Protection of Competition (CPC) did not establish during its proceedings that Welink is interested in receiving the public contract and has a legal interest to contest the procedure, the antitrust body said in a ruling on Thursday.

The tender was launched by state-owned aviation operator Bulgaria Heli Med Services.

Heli Med’s managing director Georgi Gvozdeykov said in a social media post on Thursday that Welink failed to appear at a hearing to support its complaint against the tender procedure.

Gvozdeykov said in January that the tender attracted offers from two companies – Belgian airline operator Heliventure FTO and Slovakia’s Air Transport Trading.

Last week, the CPC also turned down a complaint of US aerospace manufacturer Bell Textron against a parallel procedure of the Bulgarian health ministry for the purchase of six medical service helicopters through direct negotiations with Italian aerospace and defence company Leonardo.