New Selection Procedure Launched for Postal Service Concession Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba

THE HAGUE / KRALENDIJK – The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs has launched a selection procedure for a new concession holder for the universal postal service in the Caribbean Netherlands. The current concession for postal services on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba will expire at the end of 2026. The new concession period is intended to run from 2027 through 2036.

Interested postal service providers have until January 16, 2026 to register their interest. Parties that come forward will be involved in the further development of the request for proposals and may be invited to submit a formal bid for the concession.

There is no legally designated postal operator in the Caribbean Netherlands. Instead, the universal postal service is provided under a concession system. Since October 10, 2010, Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba have formed part of the Netherlands as separate public entities. Responsibility for the postal market in the Caribbean Netherlands lies with the Minister of Economic Affairs, while the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) supervises compliance with the Post BES Act and the quality standards for postal services.

The current concession holder is FXDC (Flamingo Express Dutch Caribbean), which has been responsible for postal delivery on the three islands for several years. Among residents, however, dissatisfaction with postal services has persisted, particularly regarding delivery times and reliability. Previous evaluations examined whether FXDC met the conditions attached to the concession. These assessments found that not all performance standards were consistently met, while also pointing to structural challenges such as the small market size, logistical constraints and the geographic position of the islands.

Little interest

At the same time, it remains uncertain whether alternative parties are willing to take on the postal service in the Caribbean Netherlands. Earlier concession rounds attracted little to no interest from other providers, largely due to limited commercial viability and the obligation to serve all three islands.

By launching this new selection procedure, the ministry aims to determine whether sufficient interest now exists for the postal concession from 2027 onward. If suitable candidates emerge, this could result in a new concession holder. If not, other solutions will need to be considered to ensure continuity of postal services.