Brno has selected the company Hochtief for the construction of the hall at the exhibition grounds for 4.4 billion

Brno – The multifunctional hall at the exhibition grounds in Brno will be built by Hochtief for 4.4 billion crowns. Brno’s mayor Markéta Vaňková told reporters today. The city selected the company from four candidates. The amount includes both the construction of the hall as well as parking, communications, and engineering networks. The construction of the hall will not start immediately, but according to Vaňková, the price is fixed. The city is currently addressing the funding of the project and also the approval of state aid from the European Union. If it is not approved or the city cannot secure the funds, it is possible to withdraw from the contract or terminate it.

Brno wants to build a multifunctional hall at the exhibition grounds for up to 13,000 spectators. It would host both sports and cultural events. The city received four offers for the construction in April and has been evaluating them since then. "The result is the selection of Hochtief CZ with a bid price of 4.444 billion crowns excluding VAT," Vaňková stated.

The contract was awarded by the city together with three municipal companies, namely Brněnské komunikace, Teplárny Brno, and Arena Brno. However, construction will not start immediately. "The site will be handed over and construction work will begin only upon the city's request," said Brno councilor and chairman of the board of Arena Brno, Petr Kratochvíl (ODS). According to him, any potential delay will not incur any additional financial costs for the contracting authority. "It is also possible to withdraw from or terminate the contract in case the European Commission does not approve public aid or if the funding for construction is not secured," Kratochvíl stated.

Brno has been promised a grant for the construction of the hall from the National Sports Agency, which supports projects with a maximum amount of 300 million crowns. Vaňková has previously discussed further support from the state for the construction of the hall with government representatives. Recently, she told ČTK that she intends to continue negotiations as soon as the situation regarding the energy crisis stabilizes.

Support has also been promised by the region. Brno has approved options for drawing loans from Komerční banka in the amount of 3 billion crowns and from Česká spořitelna in the amount of 1.5 billion crowns. In total, it can draw 4.5 billion from the two banks. Vaňková previously stated that the money would go towards investment projects, but she did not specifically name the hall. Before the September municipal elections, she also said that given the economic crisis, such large projects would need to be carefully considered.