[Awclist] GCPBA Newswire -- Concessions Contracts Prospectus

[David Yeamans]

GCPBA Newswire - August 4, 2006 - National Park Service Seeks
Providers for Guided Colorado Trips in Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon, Ariz. ­ Intermountain Regional Director Mike Snyder
today announced the availability of a Prospectus that invites
proposals for 16 concessions contracts to provide guided river trips
on the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park. The
Prospectus explains the business opportunity and the terms and
conditions under which the National Park Service (NPS) will award
these 16 concessions contracts.

This Prospectus is issued under the authority of the National Park
Service Concessions Management Improvement Act of 1998, 16 U.S.C. §§
5951-5966, 112 Stat. 3503, Public Law 105-391 as implemented by Title
36 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 51.

Because of the remoteness and ruggedness of the Grand Canyon and the
distance from sources of supplies, many visitors decide to undertake
river trips on the Colorado River with the assistance of a
concessioner. For many people, especially those who lack the skills
or equipment to negotiate the river on their own, the only way to see
these remote portions of the Grand Canyon is through the services
provided by concessioners.

Concessioners will be required to provide guided river trips on the
Colorado River for the public within Grand Canyon National Park and
must be able to interpret Park natural and cultural resources to Park
visitors with the objective of instilling in them an appreciation of
the Park. Such interpretation must include American Indian
perspectives on Park resources, as well as messages on safety, local
resource management issues and objectives, history of the Park and
surrounding vicinity, and Park interpretive themes. For the safety of
all clients, the concessioners will also be required to provide a
hiking escort service for those clients hiking in or out of the
canyon for passenger exchanges.

The new concession contracts will be issued under terms and
conditions of the 2006 Colorado River Management Plan, including
changes to maximum launches per day, trip lengths and group sizes.
Concessioners will also be required to follow operating requirements
that include Management, Organization, and Responsibilities; Scope
and Quality of Services; Concession Operations, etc. Concessioners
will be required to operate within the particular user day allocation
for each of the 16 different contracts.

Contracts will be issued for a term of 10 years, with an anticipated
beginning date of January 1, 2007 and will expire on December 31,
2016. The current 16 river concessions contracts will expire on
December 31,
2006. Each of the 16 existing concessioners is a preferred offeror
for its contract. Which means, a preferred offeror may match the
terms and conditions of a competing responsive proposal that the
National Park Service has determined to be the best proposal for the
contract.

Each conessioner awarded a contract will be required to pay the
federal government a franchise fee based on a percentage of gross
receipts. Franchise fees are used by the federal government for
support of park facilities and operations.

The Prospectus was issued with a 90-day response period with offers
due to the Intermountain Regional Office on November 3, 200. Copies
of the Prospectus are available by contacting Tom Williamson, Chief
of Concessions, Intermountain Region, National Park Service, P.O. Box
25287, Denver, Colorado 80228 (the Federal Express address is 12795
West Alameda Parkway, Lakewood, Colorado 80228). There is a $35.00
charge for each Prospectus requested. Telephone inquiries can be made
by calling (303) 969-2666. The Prospectus will be available on-line
at http://www.concessions.nps.gov/news.cfm.

For additional information on the Prospectus, please contact Tom
Williamson at (303) 969-2500.

-NPS-


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