News / Bristol Arena
Arena builders named amid questions over bid
The council has named its preferred candidate to build the long-awaited arena amid accusations that rival firms walked away from the bidding process due to complications.
Bouygues UK, who built Aardman Animations’ headquarters in Spike Island, was announced as the preferred tenderer to build the £92 million, 12,000 capacity arena, due to open in 2018 behind Temple Meads.
The announcement came a week after it was revealed by building.co.uk that three other bidders – Bam, Sir Robert McAlpine and Laing O’Rourke – gave up on the council’s offer which was considered too high risk.
An industry insider told the Bristol Post that if the council chooses to change its original terms to make them more favourable before a contract is signed with Bouygues, it could trigger a legal challenged from the other bidders – causing potential delays to the project.
The council said it would not comment until the current process had been completed.
As the council’s preferred builders, Bouygues would be awarded a pre-construction agreement for first phase of pre-construction services.
During the first phase, the council will work with Bouygues to agree a final package of works and target costs for the arena prior to awarding a building contract, following cabinet approval in the summer.
George Ferguson, mayor of Bristol said: “I am delighted with the outcome of this contractor selection process that marks an important step towards delivering this vitally important new venue for Bristol and the region.
“They delivered the award-winning Aardman Animations building locally and also have a very good track record of delivering local jobs and training opportunities for local people which is something that I was particularly keen to see assessed as part of the tender process.”
Two planning applications are due to be considered by a planning committee on March 2. One detailed application is for the arena building and access, and the other is an outline application for the future development of housing, business and leisure uses adjacent to the venue.
Read more: Full plans for Bristol Arena revealed
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