ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has moved a step closer to giving Islamabad its first purpose-built international cricket stadium, with financial bids for the multi-billion-rupee project set to be opened soon once revised designs have been reviewed.
Sources told this publication that the civic body has received revised designs and supplementary financial bids from the two joint ventures shortlisted for the project. These supplementary bids are likely to be uploaded to the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority’s (PPRA) E-PAD portal within the next few days, after which the mandatory one-week waiting period will kick in before the financial bids are formally opened.
The stadium is proposed to come up at the foothills of the Margalla Hills, near Sector D-12. CDA officials have been briefed that the venue will offer an open view of the Margallas, seat close to 32,000 spectators, and provide parking for around 10,000 vehicles roughly a kilometre from the ground.
The CDA, in collaboration with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), intends to develop the stadium along the lines of the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Currently, the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium remains the only venue in the twin cities equipped to host international matches.
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Two joint ventures are in the running for the Rs11.4 billion project — Habib Construction paired with ZKB-EA, and Lemar Builders teamed up with BK Consultants Pvt Ltd.
The project is being executed under the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) model, which required bidders to submit both technical proposals and design layouts. Following the initial round of evaluation, the shortlisted firms were asked to rework their designs and submit supplementary financial bids.
“We have received the revised designs along with the supplementary bids, and our technical team is going through them right now,” an official said. “Once the review is complete, the bids and evaluation report will be uploaded to PPRA’s E-PAD portal, and the financial bids will be opened a week later.”
The chosen site falls under Zone III, where sports and recreational activities are permitted, though the CDA will still need federal government approval for allied developments such as commercial facilities and a hotel.
According to sources, the stadium will be built on roughly 50 acres carved out of the larger 175-acre Olympic Village, a joint CDA-PCB initiative.
It may be recalled that an earlier plan to construct a cricket stadium at Shakarparian was shelved after the Supreme Court intervened and halted the project. Officials, however, maintain that both the CDA and PCB are now firmly committed to seeing this long-pending facility through.
The project reportedly also enjoys the backing of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who heads both the CDA and the PCB — a factor that has fuelled expectations of the construction moving forward on a fast-track basis.
