Stadium upgrade faces further delays

The search for a successful bidder to refurbish the Independence Stadium is experiencing procurement delays, as a lead consultant and subsequent contractors have not yet been appointed.

A lead consultant for the project was initially scheduled to be appointed in April. However, the process was cancelled and restarted on 3 July due to some potential bidders challenging the procurement procedures.

Executive director of sport, youth and national service Erastus Haitengela says they were forced to restart the process from scratch with recommendations made by the review panel.

He says the new bidding process will close on Monday.

“If, again, we are not getting a lot of challenges in the review process, we are hoping that come the end of August, we will be able to appoint a consultant and at the same time, speed up the process to start with the project,” Haitengela says.

He says the intention is to hire multiple contractors on-site to speed up the construction and refurbishments of the stadium.

“This is because of the tight deadlines we were given by the government. The unfortunate part is that the procurement process is so restrictive and you cannot jump a stage. If you make a small error, you are sent back to the drawing board,” Haitengela says.

The refurbishment of the stadium is crucial to ending nearly five years of exile for national football teams, which have been barred from hosting matches at the “substandard” facilities of the country.

Namibia currently hosts most of its international home matches in neighbouring South Africa, since the Confederation of African Football (CAF) deregistered the country’s dilapidated and outdated stadiums.

Haitengela says selecting contractors will only happen through the lead consultant because of the specific requirements by CAF.

The required upgrades include electronic advertising boards, an electronic ticketing system, modern dressing rooms, a nearby 5-star hotel and hospital, an underground sprinkler system, a modern evacuation system, ample secure parking, bucket seats, a pitch maintenance plan, floodlights for night matches, modern press boxes for journalists, barriers between stands and the pitch, an electronic viewing screen and a reliable power source.

“There is a group of contractors that are needed. For instance, we are talking about architects, electrical or mechanical engineers and they all have to be familiar with these specific requirements,” Haitengela says.

He says the stadium’s revamp costs are projected to be close to N$1 billion. At present, the ministry has an N$80-million budget, but hopes that upon review it could obtain more funding from the state’s coffers.

He says due to there being no lead consultant yet, the actual cost estimates of the project are not yet available.

Haitengela says once appointed, the lead consultant will start with the cost estimate properly in line with category level three of the Fédération internationale de football association (Fifa) CAF requirements to see how much exactly the project will cost the government.

“The ministry of finance is willing to provide the funding we need as long as we know the true costs of the project,” Haitengela says.

In 2022, the national team was banned from playing football or hosting any Fifa and CAF matches at the Sam Nujoma Stadium and the Independence Stadium after they failed the Fifa minimum requirement and standards.

Finance ministry spokesperson Wilson Shikoto confirmed that the ministry is updated on the progress of the sport ministry.

“We did receive the update from the sport, youth and national service and we are working closely with them,” Shikoto says.