Hradec Králové has started preparing a new tender for the stadium

Hradec Králové - The city of Hradec Králové will prepare a third tender for the construction of a football arena at most for 605 million crowns excluding VAT. Compared to the original estimate, this is an increase of 55 million crowns, which is caused by the rise in construction costs. A condition for issuing the tender is the correction of defects in the project documentation. The city will now negotiate with the design firm about the correction of the documentation. This was decided today by the representatives of Hradec Králové.

Some representatives doubt that 605 million will be enough. "No company will sign up for the competition for 605 million crowns," said councilor Lubomír Štěpán (KSČM) during the discussion. According to councilor Jiří Langer (ANO), the stadium could cost 700 to 800 million after the increase in construction costs. "If bidders offer a higher price than 605 million, the competition will not proceed," said the deputy mayor for investments Jiří Bláha (ODS).

Last year, the city issued two tenders for the stadium, but both were canceled. The last tender for the stadium was canceled in November last year by the new city leadership formed by the coalition of ANO, ODS, and Changes for Hradec. The city then had two assessments made to evaluate the project, the construction price, and the recalculation of the load-bearing structure. "The assessments revealed a fundamental underestimation of the financial side and serious deficiencies in the documentation," stated Bláha.

Initially, the city hoped that construction could begin at the start of this year. According to Bláha, the new tender for the construction company could be issued in the second half of this year after the adjustment of the project documentation. If everything goes smoothly, the winner could be known in the first quarter of 2020.

The city will demand the correction of the documentation from the designer as part of the complaint procedure. "The designer was familiar with the complaint last week and said he would take a stance on it," said Bláha. He wanted the council to set a deadline that he would present the tender documentation for the new competition to the councilors by May 21. This deadline was eventually removed by the councilors from the resolution.

The city's intention will be to issue a competition for the construction of the entire stadium all at once, while previously only the construction of two stands and a new pitch was considered. The remaining two stands were to be built later according to the financial capabilities of the city. Building the entire stadium at once, according to Bláha, would ultimately cost less than dividing it into stages. The city will also want to organize the competition as a single-round instead of the current two-round process to accelerate it.

The last tender for two stands and a pitch had a maximum price set at 400 million crowns. However, according to Bláha, this price was undervalued, and a more realistic price was 550 million, which was originally calculated for the construction of the entire arena with all four stands. The increase in costs would be triggered, for example, by dividing the construction into two phases, which the city wants to avoid in the new competition.

The stadium should have a capacity of 10,000 spectators. The construction is set to be the largest investment of the city in recent years. The stadium, prepared for more than 15 years, is to be built on the site of an inadequate multi-sport stadium from 1960.