Hradec canceled the third tender for the stadium, clarity about it is expected in February

Hradec Králové - The representatives of Hradec Králové today canceled the third tender for the construction of a football stadium. Only one bid was received by the city hall, which exceeded the maximum price set by the city of 605 million crowns excluding VAT. The representatives instructed Deputy Mayor for Investments Jiří Bláha (ODS) to present possible options for the stadium's construction in February 2020. Bláha is expected to conduct so-called preliminary market consultations with companies in the coming weeks.

The only interested party offered to construct the stadium for 770 million crowns excluding VAT, thus exceeding the maximum price set by the city by 27 percent.

The city has been preparing the construction of the arena on the site of an unsuitable multi-sport stadium for over 15 years. Last year, two tenders were announced for the stadium, but both were canceled. After the last tender was canceled last November, the new ruling coalition of ANO, ODS, and Změny pro Hradec commissioned two assessments to evaluate the project, construction costs, and the recalculation of the load-bearing structure. The documentation has been revised by the designer.

Pavel Křížek, a member of the board of directors of the FC Hradec Králové football club, presented the club's leadership's position, which stated that the city should attempt to find a construction company in the fourth tender. "Otherwise, we will lose the construction permit without a fight and we will go back to the beginning," he said. According to him, the club has launched a fundraising campaign for the stadium under the name Votroci sobě. Members of the club's leadership will together contribute 100,000 crowns from their own resources.

Opposition representative Aleš Dohnal from the Pirates expressed that the city should start the project completely from scratch with an architectural competition. According to him, the actual construction could begin at the end of 2022. He described the announcement of the fourth tender as an attempt to break through a wall with one's head. "With the new selection process, the chance of success will be five percent and there will be no stadium," he said. The existing stadium is, according to him, made more expensive by oversized administrative and VIP areas.

City councilor Oldřich Vlasák (ODS) reminded that the city has a building permit for the stadium and has never gotten this far in the preparation of the project. "It is the last opportunity to utilize the work completed in previous years," Vlasák said regarding the call for the fourth tender. Bláha urged the representatives to wait for February when he will present them with solutions.

The subject of the third tender included a stadium with four stands and a lawn. According to the city hall, the estimated price included an increase due to rising construction costs in recent years. The city has already allocated money for the construction in the budgets for the coming years.

The stadium is supposed to accommodate 10,000 spectators. The typical lighting with four so-called "lollipops" should be preserved, albeit in a modernized version. In the fall of 2017, the city allowed the demolition of the western stand, leaving only an earthen mound. From the current stadium, only the eastern stand should remain to serve the needs of training fields.