On 16 March 2016 at MIPIM the contract for the participatory PPP-project Blue Gate Antwerp was closed. Blue Gate Antwerp (formerly Petroleum Zuid) is a brownfield of about 60 hectares south of Antwerpen. The brownfield will be redeveloped into a high-quality, waterside and eco-efficient business park.
The contract has been awarded by Blue Gate Antwerp NV, a project company of the city of Antwerp (via AG Vespa) and the Flemish government (via PMV and Waterwegen en Zeekanaal NV), the public partners of this project. Blue Gate Antwerp will encompass three activities in the redeveloped area: logistics, manufacturing and research & development. Over time, the business park can accommodate some 2000 jobs. The project partners wish to attract companies with an ambitious sustainability profile to Blue Gate Antwerp.
The PPP-project was awarded by way of a competitive dialogue. Following eighteen months of negotiations, the public partners chose the consortium Blue Open, a consortium of enterprises including Dredging International, Dredging Environmental Contractors and Bopro, as their contracting partner. The project is one of the first of such scale and importance, in which the competitive dialogue – an innovative and creative tender procedure – was applied. Moreover, translation of such complex project to performable and workable contracts is unique, given the scope of activities which the new project company will carry out, and the long duration of the envisaged redevelopment activities.
Blue Gate Antwerp NV was assisted by Eubelius.