Cabinet queries US$43 million AATT passport kiosks contract

Cabinet has appointed retired Justice Rolston Nelson to investigate just how the Airports Authority awarded a seven-year contract to Novo Technology Ltd for the airport passport processing kiosks at the Piarco International Airport that could potentially cost the country US$42.8 million – nearly TT$300 million.

Speaking at the post-Cabinet media briefing today at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann's, Communications Minister Stuart Young said the contract, awarded in December 2017, did not appear to follow the usual tendering process but rather went through a selective tender.

The terms of the contract were also queried. While during negotiations the initial agreement was a payment of US$5.10 per passenger who used the kiosk, the final contract apparently stipulated that each month, the AATT would have to pay Novo for a minimum of 100,000 passengers – or US$510,000 every month for seven years. Novo would also own the kiosks so even at the end of the seven years, the AATT would get nothing. Young called the contract and the process "unacceptable."

The deal was only discovered when AATT, unable to pay its bills, requested funds from its line ministry, Works and Transport. When that ministry forwarded the request to the Ministry of Finance, who queried the payment "that's when the whole thing started to unravel." The Works Ministry is currently seeking legal advice on if and how to terminate the contract.