Wright’s Food Fayre Challenges €9.4m Dublin Airport Contract Award
Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) is facing a High Court challenge from Wrights Airport Convenience Store Ltd, trading as Wrights Food Fayre, over the awarding of a five-year retail contract worth €9.4 million to Smart Horizon Ltd. The dispute centers on the tender process for operating the landside convenience store in Terminal 1.
Legal Challenge and Suspension
Wrights Food Fayre is seeking to have the contract permanently suspended or set aside, and to compel the DAA to initiate a new procurement process. The company alleges that the DAA’s evaluation of the tenders contained “manifest errors” and that the award criteria were incorrectly applied [Irish Times]. They likewise claim a lack of transparency regarding the reasons for their tender’s rejection and allege unequal treatment of economic operators.
Under European Union public procurement rules, the awarding of the contract is automatically suspended pending the court’s decision on whether to lift the suspension [Irish Times].
Fast-Track Commercial Court
The DAA, represented by Donagh Hardiman BL, sought to have the case admitted to the fast-track Commercial Court to expedite proceedings. This request was consented to by Daragh Breen BL, representing Wrights [Irish Times]. Mr. Justice Mark Sanfey has entered the case into the commercial list and scheduled an adjournment to May.
Contract Details and Impact
The current contract is set to expire on March 31st, and Wrights Food Fayre currently employs 51 people in the role. The contract encompasses 24/7 “foodvenience” services within the Terminal 1 atrium, including a coffee pod/truck. Services include deli offerings, hot food, fresh bakery items, “grab and go” options, beverages, and retail items such as bus tickets, Leap cards, lottery tickets, and mobile phone top-ups [Irish Times].
According to an affidavit from Sorcha Nic Eoin, DAA head of commercial B2B, Wrights Food Fayre was the incumbent operator and one of five bidders for the contract, which was launched in July. The DAA considers the contract strategically important, as Terminal 1 handles 84% of all flights in and out of Ireland and sees high passenger footfall [Irish Times].
Ongoing Proceedings
Smart Horizon Ltd. Has been named as a notice party in the case. The DAA has rejected all claims made by Wrights regarding the tender process [BizBrief], [MSN], [Irish Independent].