After quite a few hurdles had been cleared and many urgent issues had been resolved, it had actually looked since late summer 2019 as if the planned multifunctional arena at Kaiserlei was virtually in the bag. But now there has been a setback for the project, as the final bid, which should have been submitted by the Langano bidding group by May 11, has not been received by the City of Frankfurt's submission office. This caused great disappointment, especially for the two city councillors responsible for the procedure, Jan Schneider and Markus Frank, who had led the very time-consuming negotiations with great commitment over the last few months. To the reasons why it did not come to the submission of the final offer, they do not want to say anything at the moment and wait first the explanation of the bidder.
After the recent talks - in April alone, two rounds of negotiations with the department heads took place - and against the background of the development report submitted by the bidder at the end of April, the project seemed to be on the home stretch. The magistrate's draft, which was adapted to the complex course of the tendering procedure and was very extensive in terms of text, with which the two department heads wanted to obtain the approval of the magistrate and the city council for the award of the contract to Langano, is already available for finalisation. All that was missing was the final bid, but that important procedural step failed to materialize. In the past, the length of the process has often been criticized, but it has always been important to the City as the bidding entity to conduct the process properly. Therefore, the failure to submit the final bid will result in Langano losing its status as a "preferred bidder."
Sports Director Markus Frank explains, "It is a sad day for professional sports in Frankfurt am Main, because after years of waiting for an attractive competition venue, which should not only increase playing conditions, but also marketing conditions for the sports of ice hockey and basketball, the realization of the project moves further away."
Bau- und Immobiliendezernent Jan Schneider stressed: "The Office of Construction and Real Estate had prepared everything to be able to grant a hereditary building right for the municipal property at Kaiserlei at reasonable conditions. We have thus paved the way for the multifunctional arena and I am therefore disappointed that Langano has refrained from submitting a bid."
Two suitable bidders had emerged from the bidding process. Langano was awarded preferred bidder status due to the more compact footprint of the multi-purpose hall and its compliance with the requirement to provide good playing conditions for clubs. The second bidder, AEG Anschutz, had just recently expressed its continued interest in the project, so further proceedings could continue with it. Discussions will commence in the short term.
