Bob Mackin
B.C. Place Stadium will become Western Canada’s biggest non-marijuana indoor grow op next spring.
Manager B.C. Pavilion Corp. (PavCo) went to market on March 24, seeking suppliers of two small and nine large lighting rigs. They will be used to grow the new synthetic fibre reinforced natural grass surface that will be installed for seven FIFA World Cup 26 matches beginning June 13, 2026.
B.C. Place Stadium on April 30, 2024 (BC Gov/Flickr)
Deadline for bids is April 21. The tendering document says PavCo requires April 6, 2026 delivery of the lighting rigs.
In January, PavCo published a call for suppliers of lawn mowers and the hybrid sod.
The Crown corporation is spending $109 million on renovations to the 1983-built stadium.
PavCo is also seeking quotations for provision of cybersecurity services (deadline April 14) and wifi equipment (deadline April 21).
The former is a negotiated request for proposals. PavCo wants to award the contract May 12 and begin the contract on May 30. Services required include security information and event management, managed detection and response and risk management through a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week security operations centre.
“The services should include onboarding, initial training, and ongoing support to ensure robust protection of PavCo’s systems and infrastructure against cyber threats. The proposed solution must be compatible with Microsoft’s Defender for Office and Defender for Endpoint, which are currently in place.”
Meanwhile, City of Vancouver is seeking a contractor to provide wayfinding, dressing and signage services around B.C. Place Stadium, public spaces, transportation corridors, SkyTrain and SeaBus stations. The goal is to “enhance navigation, elevate event branding.”
Plans include English, French and Indigenous language signage “with the ability to adapt based on attendee demographics and FIFA requirements.”
Deadline for bids is April 22.
The city wants to approve wayfinding, dressing and signage designs by June 30 and install elements between New Year’s Day and May 15, 2026. The removal and recycling period would last from July 30-Dec. 31, 2026.
In January, City of Vancouver advertised a “Digital Infrastructure and Innovation” contract that includes 200 new surveillance cameras.
FIFA World Cup 26 sponsors include U.S. corporations Bank of America, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Home Depot, Verizon, as well as Saudi Arabia’s state oil company Aramco, Qatar Airways and China’s Lenovo Computer and Mengniu Dairy.
According to the NDP government’s April 2024 estimate, it could cost taxpayers as much as $581 million to be one of the 16 tournament hosts.
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