Singapore Sports Hub Preferred Bidder Announcement

Singapore Sports Hub Consortium, Led By Dragages Singapore Pte Ltd, Selected as Preferred Bidder For Sports Hub Project

Singapore, 19 January 2008 - The Singapore Government announced today that it has selected the Singapore Sports Hub Consortium (SSHC) led by Dragages Singapore Pte Ltd as the preferred bidder for the Singapore Sports Hub Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) project, subject to finalisation of contract details.

Making the announcement at a press conference, Minister for Community Development Youth and Sports, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said: "We are pleased to announce the selection of the Singapore Sports Hub Consortium, led by Dragages Singapore Private Limited, as the preferred bidder for the Singapore Sports Hub Public-Private Partnership project. The Consortium displayed significant strengths in programming, team culture and partnership, functionality and layout. It also offered the best value for money solution for Singapore."

Dr Balakrishnan added: "SSHC provided a holistic strategy to promote sports participation, leisure, entertainment and lifestyle activities via a focus on community and grassroots sports. Its integrated approach will create foot traffic and promote vibrancy at the Sports Hub. Their strategy is supported by a comprehensive sporting calendar that guarantees at least 90 event days at the National Stadium and 46 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. It consist of a well-balanced mix of local, regional and international sporting events and activities targeted at various different target segments."

Examples of innovative and sustainable programmes and events include onsite media broadcasting services, organising an ASEAN clubs soccer league, a Singapore national games and international cricket matches.

The SSHC has also proposed setting up a 'Premier Park Foundation' or PPF, which reinvests a significant portion of Sport's Hub's commercial revenues into the project. The PPF will be used to fund future events, activities and facilities.

The PPF ensures a sustainable programming model and is a testimony of SSHC's long-term partnership commitment to the project. SSHC's venue operator, Global Spectrum, has also taken an equity stake in the project, further highlighting the consortium's commitment to deliver world class programming to the Sports Hub.

SSHC has provided a circular design layout with the various sports and commercial facilities surrounding the dome-shaped new National Stadium. The design is well integrated with the consortium's events and programming strategy, and has the flexibility and scalability for hosting large-scale events, including the National Day Parade. The Sports Hub's critical mass of facilities and attractions would ensure that the venue is teeming with activity and buzz on event and non-event days.

"We believe the strength of the SSHC's proposals, together with SSC's Sporting Singapore initiatives, will place the Sports Hub alongside the world's best and most dynamic sports, entertainment and lifestyle venues. With the advantage of a 25-year legacy planning horizon, and the best of breed team from the SSHC, the Singapore Sports Hub can create the same buzz like other world class venues such as the Reebok stadium in Manchester, Sydney Olympic Park in Australia and Madison Square Gardens in New York." added Dr Balakrishnan.

With the appointment of the SSHC as the preferred bidder, the project will now enter into the Financial Close stage, during which details of the contract will be ironed out. The signing of the project agreement is scheduled for end March 2008.

Post-Financial Close, the existing National Stadium is expected to be demolished, and construction for the new Sports Hub will start. This is expected to take place from April 2008. SSHC will also take over the operations of Indoor Stadium from April 2008.

The Sports Hub is expected to be ready in end 2011.

The Net Present Value of the total costs the government will pay over the 25-year tenure amounts to S$1.87b.

The Sports Hub is believed to be the first and largest sports facilities infrastructure PPP project in the world and is also Singapore's largest and flagship PPP project of this nature.