Marriott Hotel ...NICIL/ AHI evaluating tenders for entertainment complex

Marriott Hotel …NICIL/ AHI evaluating tenders for entertainment complex

Sep 20, 2013 News

Four proposals submitted by companies or individuals to operate the US$4M entertainment complex of the Marriott branded hotel being constructed in Kingston, are currently being evaluated by National Industrial & Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) and Atlantic Hotel Incorporated (AHI).

Head of NICIL and AHI, Winston Brassington

This is according to Winston Brassington, head of NICIL, who said that the tenders or proposals are being evaluated in consultation with Republic Bank Ltd and Marriott Hotel because the selected bidder would be operating a casino.
Brassington, who did not want to disclose the names or jurisdictions of the bidders, confirmed that local companies have responded to the numerous advertisements.
The number of independent entities evaluating the tenders is questionable since AHI that owns the hotel and entertainment complex was created as a private company by NICIL.
There is seemingly no difference between the two entities in terms of leadership. NICIL’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer/Company Secretary, Marcia Nadir-Sharma is also the Company Secretary for AHI, which is also headed by Brassington.
According to Brassington, the Marriott Hotel is not being funded by the Consolidated Fund but with moneys from NICIL.
The political opposition has argued that the money earned by NICIL is in fact state funds and should be turned over to the Consolidated Fund.
Brassington however has argued that only dividends payable by NICIL should be deposited into the Consolidated Fund.
With AHI being a private company it does not have to follow public procurement procedures that would have required the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board evaluating the tenders.
According to Brassington, the criteria being used to evaluate the tenders was set out in the package issued to anyone looking to be an operator. He said that broadly speaking Government was looking to confirm that the potential operators are committed and able to make the outfitting investment.

Deputy Chief Executive Officer of NICIL and Company Secretary of AHI, Marcia Nadir-Sharma

In addition, the potential operators had to submit conceptual designs of the entertainment complex “to show they have a concept of what they are looking to do with some level of details”. He added that they had to provide financial projections.
“These projections were at least in accordance with our feasibility projections because we want to know that the expected cash flow from the entertainment complex will be consistent with our business plan,” he explained.
Brassington said that information provided would allow Government to judge the potential operators on technical and financial capabilities to undertake this project with respect to both resources and technical people, who would operate the casino.
Last year, reports of Government deciding to separate the Marriott Hotel from the casino, night club and restaurant were rejected by the Opposition.
A Partnership for National Unity’s Parliamentarian, Joe Harmon, had blasted Government for wanting to separate the Marriott Hotel from its main revenue earners.
He had said that the money being invested in the hotel should have been spent on something else to the benefit of the public.
“Instead of investing into the Marriott, the government should have built a new harbour bridge which is very critical,” Harmon stated.
Harmon believes that the move is in keeping with a “bigger and grander” financial scheme to steal the public’s money.