A consortium led by a subsidiary of France's Bouygues Construction has been chosen to build a 1.2 billion Singapore dollar (834 million US) national stadium and sports hub in Singapore, a top official said Saturday.
The consortium, led by Dragages Singapore Pte Ltd, will start construction of the waterfront facility in April and complete it by the end of 2011, said Vivian Balakrishnan, minister for community development, youth and sports.
Dragages Singapore is a subsidiary of Bouygues Construction, the biggest construction company in France and which has built other iconic structures world-wide such as Stade de France in Paris and the Asia World Expo in Hong Kong. The Dragages-led consortium beat two other shortlisted bidders, including a group led by Australian financial group Macquarie.
"After a rigorous evaluation, the evaluation committee has selected the Singapore Sports Hub Consortium or SSHC, led by Dragages, as the preferred bidder for the Singapore Sports Hub project," Balakrishnan told a media briefing.
"It displayed significant strengths in programming and events, team culture and partnership, and its design and operational functionality. It also offered the best value for money solution in Singapore."
He said the contract was expected to be signed in March. The complex will include a new national stadium with a retractable roof and able to seat 55,000 people, a 6,000-capacity indoor aquatic centre, an artificial river offering whitewater rafting and a 3,000-capacity multi-purpose arena.