newstodate.aero

May 23, 2022 (newstodate): Wednesday, February 16, 2022, was the deadline for placing an offer in the tender for the  service contract for the US Air Force Base at Thule/Qaanaaq, Pituffik.
   This time the outcome of the tender is attracting exceptionally strong attention after the earlier tender that was controversially won by US-owned company Vectrus's Danish subsidiary Exelis Services from September 2015 till September 2022, seen as a break with traditional policy that would expect Danish/Greenlandic companies, Greenland Contractors owned by Greenland Holding A/S and MT Hojgaard A/S, retaining the contract on Danish/Greenlandic hands securing tax incomes and local employment.
    According to an international agreement, only Danish and Greenlandic companies may bid on contracts for operating the polar base, but the US company bypassed the limitation by setting up a Danish subsidiary.
   This time, the outcome may once again contain a surprise; the US company Vectrus has teamed up with the Danish company Permagreen Grønland A/S owned by the Danish company Per Aarsleff A/S that was among the losing bidders in 2013.
   The joint venture named Inuksuk A/S may thus stand a chance to bring back at least a partial Danish/Geeenlandic company winning the tender.
   The service contract includes civil engineering, airfield and water port operations, fuel management, transportation, non-secure communications, environmental management, food service, medical/public health, supply, recreation and community services.    
   Besides its military functions, the Thule AFB also provides the region with critical aviation services as well as SAR.