H. Králové will announce the fourth tender for the football stadium for 600 million CZK

Hradec Králové - The representatives of Hradec Králové today approved the announcement of the fourth competition for a company to build a football stadium. The total price for the stadium and the fee for the construction manager should not exceed 605 million crowns without VAT. The city has been preparing the construction of the football arena on the site of the inadequate multipurpose stadium for over 15 years. So far, the city hall has announced three tenders for the stadium since 2018, but all were canceled for various reasons.

If the city manages to select a tender winner by the end of the year, construction could begin at the beginning of 2021 and be completed in two years. This would be the largest modern investment for the city. According to the city hall's management, the city could receive a grant of 150 million crowns from the National Sports Agency for the construction.

Opposition representatives today criticized the city management for failing to present updated documents for the tender in a timely manner. They suggested postponing the matter to the next meeting of the council. "For a contract worth three quarters of a billion, this borders on embarrassment," stated opposition councilor Aleš Dohnal (Pirates). "At least do it properly," conveyed the city management from opposition councilor Jan Holásek of the Hradec Democratic Club. Other councilors spoke of a botched process and negligence.

City management representatives apologized and admitted that the presentation of changes made by the city council just hours before the meeting was not very fortunate. Supplementary materials were provided to councilors only during the discussion of the tender. According to Deputy Mayor for Investments Jiří Bláha (ODS), the documentation is well-developed and the modifications refine it. "Your opinions are taken into account," Bláha said in response to opposition concerns. Another change is that the evaluation committee for the tender has been expanded to include opposition councilors.

Twenty-three out of 37 councilors voted in favor of announcing the tender. In addition to the 19 councilors from the ruling coalition ANO, ODS, and Change for Hradec, the resolution was also supported by three Communists and also by the football coach and chief scout of FC Hradec Králové, Ladislav Škorpil, from the opposition Hradec Democratic Club.

The stadium, which is home to the second-tier club FC Hradec Králové, is expected to meet UEFA Category 4 standards, which are for stadiums for international matches. The stadium's capacity should be at least 8,000 covered seats, and it should meet the requirements for a multifunctional arena. The lighting poles will have the shape of lollipops typical for Hradec.

Already in July, the city signed a contract with the company Arcadis Czech Republic, which will be the construction manager for 31.8 million crowns without VAT. This leaves 573.2 million crowns without VAT for the construction itself.

A fundamental change compared to previous tenders will be that the city will announce the contract using the Design and Build method, meaning design and construct. The city will set requirements for the size and functions of the stadium. The selected contractor will then modify the stadium project and subsequently build the arena.

The evaluation of offers will be based on multiple criteria. The offered price will carry a weight of 40 percent, the functionality of the stadium will have a weight of 25 percent, and the architectural design 20 percent. Five percent will be allocated to the experience of the main designer, project manager, and chief construction supervisor.