The City and County of Honolulu in Hawaii, USA has issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) regarding the redevelopment of Neal S. Blaisdell Center, a cultural campus located in Honolulu, the state capital of Hawaii. More than 50-year-old campus is in significant need of facility systems and infrastructure upgrades and renovation. The project involves design, building, finance, operation and maintenance works of Neal S. Blaisdell Center. The 22.4-acre complex includes a multi-purpose arena, an exhibition hall, a concert hall, meeting rooms, and structured parking. 

The existing civic center was opened in 1964.

The scope of work listed in the RFQ includes the renovation of the existing concert hall and arena on site, as well as demolition and reconstruction of the exhibition hall and parking structures. The new exhibition hall will span 95,000 square feet (8,800 square meters). Two parking garages are to be constructed, with a total 2,400 spaces. Additional venues will also be developed on site, including an arts pavilion and a sports pavilion with 2,000 to 2,500 seats.

The public-private partnership will significantly help the Honolulu city and provide a next-generation civic center to residents by paying a significant portion of the costs related to construction. The RFQ will help to determine the portion that the city will pay over the life of the project.

The Mayor of Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said - “unless we upgrade, Honolulu will no longer be able to attract the kinds of arts, culture, entertainment and sporting events that our citizens enjoy. This is a project that will serve the community for decades to come.”

The deadline to submit the qualifications is October 31, 2019. The city plans to issue the request for proposals to qualified participants by December 31. The proposals are due to be back by June 1, 2020 and the winning team will be selected by August 2020. The Blaisdell Center then would close by December 2020 for about two years for construction.

The RFQ document can be found on Honolulu´s Purchasing Division website.