The selection of the arena builder in Jihlava will no longer be challenged by the unsuccessful association.

Jihlava - The selection of the builder for the Horácká multifunctional arena (HMA) in Jihlava will no longer be challenged by the unsuccessful consortium of companies. The city's explanation is considered sufficient. This follows a statement received today by ČTK from the company Metrostav DIZ, which was the leading participant in this consortium. The city intends to award the construction to the Olomouc company GEMO, which submitted the lowest bid of 1.909 billion Czech crowns excluding VAT.

The city will have the arena built in place of the old ice rink, which will be demolished. The consortium of Metrostav DIZ, OHLA ŽS, and Podzimek raised objections regarding Jihlava's process in selecting the construction company, to which the city responded at the end of March. The consortium had ten days to express whether the justification was sufficient, and could also appeal to the Office for the Protection of Competition.

"On behalf of Metrostav DIZ as the leading participant of the consortium, we can confirm that we have received a decision regarding the objections along with a very detailed explanation. The information received is sufficient for us, and we will not take any further steps," said Radim Mana, spokesperson for the Metrostav group, to ČTK today.

Due to the arena construction, Jihlava still needs to address objections from residents of some apartments on Tyršova street regarding the demolition order for the old stadium. Previous information indicated that discussions involved noise restrictions during demolition and concerns about potential damage to homes. David Beke (ODS), city councilor and construction manager for HMA, stated today that this matter is not yet closed.

The city had to reapply for the demolition order because it did not manage to start the demolition last year. Preparations for the construction of the arena have also been prolonged due to the fact that higher price bids than Jihlava expected came in during the tender process.

The city received five bids for the construction of the arena. In addition to GEMO, the bidders for the contract included the consortium of Syner and Geosan Group with a price of 1.988 billion crowns, and the consortium HMA - Metrostav DIZ, OHLA ŽS, Podzimek with a price offer of 2.083 billion crowns. BAK construction company, a.s., proposed to build the Jihlava arena for 2.199 billion crowns, and the joint-stock company PKS stavby for 2.242 billion crowns. These are bids excluding VAT.

The old ice rink in Jihlava has been closed since last year due to poor roofing, with the hockey team Dukla playing matches in Pelhřimov and Jindřichův Hradec. The new arena will not only serve hockey and other sports but will also host cultural and social events. The city has been promised 800 million crowns in subsidies for the project - half a billion from the region and 300 million from the National Sports Agency (NSA). The remaining costs will be covered by loans and the city's own funds.