Contractors urge EC to Accelerate Procurement Plan of Satellite Navigation System

Expressing their worries over the unnecessary delay of the procurement of the satellite navigation system, two of the major contractors of the Galileo's Project have urged the European Commission to accelerate the pace of the procurement process.

The two companies, Astrium Satellites and Thales Alenia Space, speaking at the information conference of European Union space ministers which took place between July 20 and 22 in Kourou, French Guinea agreed that the procurement process which has been slated to be debated for 10 months is being delayed unnecessarily.

In his remarks addressed to French Research Minister Valerie Pecresse and Guenter Verheugen, the European Commission Vice President, the chief executive of Astrium Sattellites, Evert Dudok said that the procurement has been substantially delayed and this schedule introduces more delays and encouraged the EC to remove the "needlessly complicated rules" on the Galileo procurement.

Offering his views, Thales Alenia Space Chief Executive Reynald Seznec  stated

Astrium Satellites, Thales Alenia Space, and its major subcontractors have assembled a contract proposal that distributes work throughout Europe and limits the prime contractors' dominance in a way that complies with European Commission concerns. "We really believe we have come up with a contracting profile that responds to the commission's concerns and that we could negotiate a final contract much sooner" than mid-2009, Seznec said

Reacting to these, the commission agreed to enter into a competitive dialogue with bidders and promised that they will come up with a positive solution that will of mutual benefit to the parties involved.