Stadion an der Gellertstraße: BAM bidding consortium to become general contractor for the complete remodelling of the stadium

"I am delighted that we can tackle the project together with an experienced company and hope that the prospect of the rebuild will also give the team and fans the energy they need for the difficult time of playing on a construction site. I am convinced that many regional companies will be involved in the realisation of the stadium project on this construction site," said Lord Mayor Barbara Ludwig.

"For us as future users, today is a very good day, because we are another important step closer to the planned remodelling of our home ground. If our stadium at the traditional Gellertstraße site is completely rebuilt in the form now planned, this will not only be a huge boost for the CFC, but also a reference for Chemnitz. The time between the presentation of the idea in June 2011 and today has been impressively short," said Dr Mathias Hänel, Chairman of the Board of Chemnitzer FC.

The multi-stage negotiation process began in October 2012 after the city took over the client function from GGG, which was previously intended to be the client. The city council defined the procedure up to the award of the contract: an eight-member jury was to accompany the award procedure. In addition, the Lord Mayor was authorised to commission the planning and construction services following the evaluation of the assessment matrix carried out jointly with the jury.

On the basis of the contract award notice, seven companies applied to take part in the negotiated procedure. After examination, five companies were invited to submit bids. Two bidders subsequently announced that they no longer wished to participate in the procedure.

The indicative bids of the three bidders were extensively scrutinised. In addition to the offices of the city administration and the future user, the planning offices involved, the stadium construction department and external parties such as the accompanying law firm, the police and the network company were also included in this review. The jury monitored all stages of the process and met five times.

After examination and negotiation talks, the binding offers were evaluated according to the defined matrix: The criteria included price, site functionality, functional building, grandstands, architecture and design, energy concept, structural design, construction management, technical building equipment and accessibility.

Other prerequisites for admission to the evaluation were the budget specifications, 100 per cent fulfilment of the specifications from the DFB stadium manual and compliance with the functional specifications.

In principle, all three bidders involved could have been awarded the contract. The selected bidder was particularly convincing in the criteria of site functionality, functional building, stands, architecture and design.

Once the contract has been awarded, which should be completed on 1 July, the city, as the client, will determine the specific construction schedule together with the general contractor and Chemnitzer FC.

Keyword stadium

The city took over the client function last autumn after the state directorate did not approve the planned construction with the housing company GGG as the client. As a result, the contractual structures had to be adjusted by a city council resolution in November 2012 and the competition for the pre-selection of a general contractor had to be repeated. In addition, a supplementary budget had to be approved in order to include the loan of EUR 25 million required for the remodelling in the 2013 and 2014 budgets.

The remodelling of the stadium on Gellertstraße is to be carried out while the stadium remains open. A modern arena with 15,000 seats is planned, of which around 9,000 will be seated and 6,000 standing, including a family block.