Three Consortia Shortlisted For Sydney Convention Centre Project

Three consortia dominated by Lend Lease Group (LLC.AU), Brookfield Asset Management Inc. (BAM), and private contractor Laing O'Rourke have been shortlisted to build a 12-hectare convention center precinct in central Sydney, the government of New South Wales state said Thursday.

In a statement, the state's Premier Barry O'Farrell said the three consortia would enter talks with the government and a preferred bidder would be selected by the end of 2012, with the precinct due to open late in 2016.

The precinct, in Darling Harbour immediately to the west of Sydney's central business district, would comprise convention, exhibition and entertainment facilities.

The three consortia are Destination Sydney, comprising divisions of Lend Lease, Spotless Group Ltd. (SPT.AU), Capella Capital N.V. (CLI.XE), AEG Ogden Pty. Ltd. and InfraRed Capital Partners Ltd.; Key Partners, comprising divisions of Laing O'Rourke, John Laing PLC, Macquarie Group Ltd. (MQG.AU) GL Events S.A. (GLO.FR), and Honeywell International Inc. (HON); and VeNuSW, comprising parts of Brookfield, Plenary Group Ltd., and Suntec Int. Convention & Exhibition Services Pte. Ltd.

 
   -By David Fickling, Dow Jones Newswires; [phone]; [e-mail]