Bogotá signs PPP concession contract for US$600mn sports, cultural complex

Bogotá's city hall signed the concession contract for a 2.4tn-peso (US$604mn) PPP to build and operate the Nemesio Camacho stadium (known locally as El Campín) cultural and sports complex in the Colombian capital.

The project was awarded last December to the consortium Asociación Público Privada Complejo Cultural y Deportivo El Campín (CDEC).

The new complex will be developed in two stages: a pre-construction phase, in which the existing infrastructure will operate for one year while the respective licenses and permits are processed, and then the construction phase, lasting approximately 3.5 years, which will be carried out gradually to avoid interrupting sporting events.

Once built, the company will operate and maintain the complex for 29 years.

The new sports stadium, with capacity for 50,000 spectators, will be one of the highlights of the country's architecture and public spaces, Bogotá mayor, Luis Fernando Galán, said during the signing of the contract.

Two of Colombia's top soccer teams, Independiente Santa Fe and Millonarios, play home matches at the stadium. 

In addition to the sports stadium, the works include construction of an auditorium for the Bogotá philharmonic orchestra; gastronomic, commercial and recreational areas, areas for indoor sports, spaces for cultural events and digital entertainment; a hotel; and a clinic with an emphasis on sports medicine.