Not really. Tenders are publically open and whoever puts forth the best tender wins.
There was a tender for the knockdown and (maybe) clearup, and one for the rebuild.
Lendlease put in for both tenders, but wanted more money for the rebuild than the government wants to allocate for the project.
Gladys Berejiklian’s government is on the back foot after a firm that knocked down Sydney’s Allianz stadium refused to rebuild the venue for the amount of money on offer from the government.
The New South Wales government is searching for another company to rebuild the stadium after Lendlease rejected its offer. The total budget for knocking down and rebuilding Allianz stadium at Moore Park is $729m.
The NSW sports minister, John Sidoti, on Friday said Lendlease’s stage two offer “did not meet the government’s expectations so we are looking for another builder in a competitive market”.
It is understood Lendlease did bid for the construction phase but the government wanted the company to do the work for less money.
On Saturday, amid criticism from the opposition and the Greens, Sidoti tried to ease concerns by saying the stadium would still be completed by early 2022.
“The NSW government always delivers on its promises and we will deliver the Sydney Football stadium on time and on budget,” he said. “In a competitive market, we will find the best deal for the people of NSW and work is under way to find a builder.
“The project has always been split into two stages of demolition and construction.”