A Tynwald scrutiny committee has been continuing its inquiry into how Vision Nine was awarded the contract to promote the TT for at least 10 years, only for the Department of Economic Development to scrap the tender process six months later.

Previous witnesses to the investigation, rival bidder Barrie Baxter and Ned Bowers of the Manx Motor Cycle Club have told the committee that members of the DED’s motorsport team were offered jobs with the successful bidder as part of the terms of the contract.

But TT business development manager Mr Phillips, giving his evidence last week, insisted this was not the case - and he in fact faced redundancy from the department.


Removed

He said: 

’It’s important to point out for myself and some of my colleagues we were specifically removed from the process. We were not involved at all.

’There has been comments around job offers being made and the ability to negotiate around future employment but none of that ever took place.

’Nobody in the motorsport team was ever afforded a job offer from any tenderer in this process because the contract was never resolved.

’The only thing that did happen was that myself and two colleagues were put on notice in April of last year. That was extended at some point in the summer I believe and eventually removed.’

Committee member Tim Baker MHK asked him:

 ’Just to be clear - you were put on notice of redundancy?’

Mr Phillips replied: 

’We were added to the internal redeployment list but it wasn’t quite clear as what the final outcome would be. There was no certainty for myself and my two colleagues.’

Former deputy chief executive of the DED David Ronan said that at any early stage in the tender process it was identified there could be a potential conflict of interest with certain members of staff as any promoter would naturally want to engage the current staff because they have all the expertise.

A decision was therefore taken to exclude certain members of the motorsport team from any part of the procurement process, he said.

Mr Ronan said both bidders had skills and expertise in putting events on in different areas, quite successfully.

He said Vision Nine were very clear in the type of visitors they wanted to attract. This wasn’t necessarily about increasing the number of traditional bike fans, he said, but about attracting other sports fans and spreading visitors over the period rather than increasing the peak.

Surprised

Former DED chief executive Chris Corlett told the committee that the bids were put through as much rigorous financial scrutiny as possible.

Economic Development Minister Laurence Skelly MHK said he had been a ’little surprised’ by comments made by some of the previous witnesses to the committee. 

He said the Manx Motor Cycle Club had previously stated they would be supportive of Vision Nine.

Mr Ronan said it wasn’t until May last year that issues started to emerge.

There were six areas that needed addressing including a side contract that would bring the other departments into the contract, implications of changes to road races legislation, key personnel and in particular a safety advisor, a question raised over the ownership of the event and question over liabilities and what other costs could actually be transferred to the promoter.

Mr Baker asked how much gap still remained between the parties when the tender process stopped in November last year.

The witnesses replied that there were a number of points around this that the department, on advice, would prefer to discuss in private.

Subsequently, the committee did sit in private session but the public were allowed back in to hear the next witness, for head of motorsport at the DED Trevor Hussey, give his evidence.

Mr Hussey who joined the DED in 2010 after 26 years in the prison service, said the decision not to proceed with the Vision Nine contract was ’not entirely unexpected for me’.

He said some of things said afterwards about Vision Nine, mainly be those not involved in the tender process, made him believe that ’here was an opportunity lost that will never repeat itself again’.

And he added: 

’I feel very strongly that some of things said in evidence so far, particularly by members of the Manx Motor Cycle Club were just conjecture and assumption built on no knowledge.

’A lot of things we read are just based on prejudice, a lack of understanding of the real issues.’