Vilnius Municipality Invites Foreign Private Investors to Participate in Public Tender for Sports Complex

The future site for the multipurpose sports complex in Šeškinė

September 6 saw Vilnius Municipality take an important step in the development of a multipurpose sports complex in Šeškinė by announcing a public tender open to Lithuanian and foreign private investors.

With the assistance of the Lithuanian State Department of Sports and Physical Education, the Municipality will co-fund the project through a public-private tender, based on the ‘Design-Build-Finance-Operate’ model.

The sports complex will house a 15,000-capacity stadium, three football pitches, and a sports hall. In terms of public infrastructure, it will also be home to a 300-capacity kindergarten, an information centre, plus spaces for other sports, educational, and cultural activities.

In an invite to Lithuanian and non-Lithuanian private companies to participate in the public tender, Vilnius Remigijus Šimašius said: “I am inviting all potential investors to take part in this [public tender], because I feel the scope of this project will appeal to Lithuanian and foreign private investors.

“Prior to the publication of the public tender, Vilnius Municipality, and the project promoters carried out a public consultation, which showed that residents of Vilnius want a multipurpose complex that is focused on hosting sporting, educational and cultural events.

“This want has helped create the conditions for the public tender, and we are sure that the facility will serve the needs of the public.”

The contract between Vilnius Municipality, the state’s Sport and P.E. department, and the private investor will be valid for 25 years.

The right of ownership will be held by Vilnius Municipality, while the private investor will be responsible for the refurbishment of the plots of land, the construction of multipurpose complex‘s infrastructure, and providing the services and engaging the commercial activities listed in the concession contract. Furthermore, the private investor will be provided with the right to develop – at its own risk – additional real property for commercial activities.

The total amount of investment in the project is 73.1 million euros excluding VAT. Funding from the European Union amounts to 33.6 million euros, while funding from Vilnius Municipality (co-financed by the European Union) and the Lithuanian state amount to 2.9 and 36.6 million euros respectively.

All photos by Saulius Žiūra.