Mayor’s Office of Communications
55 Trinity Avenue, Suite 2500 • Atlanta, Georgia 30303
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 05/08/12
News Release
City of Atlanta Prevails Against TAKE-OFF Concessions
Protest about the award of a small food and beverage contract denied by hearing officer
Hearing Officer George F. Maynard on Monday denied TAKE-OFF Concessions, LLC’s protest of the award of a small food and beverage contract to Vida-Velocity Management, LLC. (VVM). Maynard expressly rejected TAKE-OFF Concessions’ allegations, instead lauding the "deliberate and reasoned" scoring decisions of the Evaluation Panel and concluding that TAKE-OFF Concessions “failed to demonstrate any material flaws in the evaluation process or the overall procurement process that would justify sustaining its Appeal.”
“The solicitation for Small Food Package 9 was conducted in accordance with applicable law and the terms and conditions of the RFP…There is no evidence that the procurement process should be voided as 'unfair, fraudulent, or corrupt,' as alleged," Maynard wrote in a detailed 12-page order.
Losing proponent TAKE-OFF Concessions, which placed 8th out of 9 proponents who were evaluated for Package 9, “focused on the form of VVM’s submissions, and alleged errors in the scoring process, without presenting any evidence that [TAKE-OFF Concessions’] submission would offer a better business deal for the City than that of [VVM].”
Previously, Judge Cynthia Wright, Chief Judge of the Fulton County Superior Court, denied TAKE-OFF Concessions and other losing proponents’ attempts to prevent the City from signing the small food and beverage concessions contracts, finding that the procurement process is “intended to be in the interest of the public, not that of an aggrieved, frustrated bidder.” Hearing Officer Maynard’s Order further validates and confirms the fairness and correctness of the City’s procurement process.
The City is hopeful that, having now won multiple airport procurement challenges in Superior Court and before the Hearing Officer, it can move forward with the important business of managing Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport free from further costly and time-consuming litigation.
The new Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal, complete with new food and beverage and retail concessions outlets, is scheduled to open on May 16, 2012. The city expects the airport to realize net annual revenue in the amount of $51.1 million as a result of the new food and beverage contracts. This represents an increase of over $23 million, annually. The new International Terminal will be a signature addition to Hartsfield-Jackson, the world’s busiest airport and the number one economic engine in the City of Atlanta and surrounding metropolitan area.
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