Procurement
We are very pleased to announce that on September 25, 2025, two agreements for the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District (NASED) project have been executed. These are the Stadium Development and Operation Agreement and the Initial Ground Lease Agreement to support the project.
Execution of these two documents now allows Aloha Hālawa District Partners (AHDP) to commence working on the stadium project including dismantling of the existing stadium, and design and construction of the new stadium. These two agreements were critical to commence stadium-related work, meet deadlines, and contractually commit the state contribution.
A summary of the procurement process, including the three-stage selection process, is outlined below.
Diligence and Discussion Phase (October 2024 – Present)
On October 31, 2024, pursuant to the procurement process outlined in the RFP, the state selected AHDP as the Preferred Offeror that would enter into a Pre-Development Agreement and participate in the third stage of the selection process, referred to as the Diligence and Discussion Phase. The state’s decision was based on its review of AHDP’s Proposal and the state’s determination that AHDP’s Proposal sufficiently satisfied the evaluation criteria set forth in the RFP. The state and AHDP entered into the Pre-Development Agreement effective as of March 31, 2025.
During the Diligence and Discussion Phase, the state and AHDP are negotiating the terms of various agreements related to the development and operation of the NASED project.
On September 25, 2025, two agreements for the NASED project were executed. These are the Stadium Development and Operation Agreement and an Initial Ground Lease Agreement to support the project.
Execution of these two documents allows AHDP to commence working on the stadium project including dismantling of the existing stadium, and design and construction of the new stadium. These two agreements were critical to commence stadium-related work, meet deadlines, and contractually commit the state’s financial contribution to the project.
Final execution of the remaining two (2) agreements related to the real estate parts of the district are expected to be finalized over the coming months.
Proposals Phase (March 2024 – October 2024)
On March 28, 2024, the Proposals Phase, the second stage of the selection process, began when the state announced the named Priority-Listed Offerors. Each Priority-Listed Offeror was asked to submit a proposal in accordance with the requirements set forth in the RFP.
The developer-led teams that were priority-listed included:
Aloha Hālawa District Partners (AHDP), a consortium comprising of:
- Development Ventures Group, Inc., Stanford Carr Development, LLC, Ameresco, Inc., and Aloha Stadium Community Development, LLC (The Cordish Company) as the lead equity members;
- RMA Architects, Populous, SB Architects, Henning Larsen, Alakea Design Group, and WCIT Architects as the design team;
- Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company, Inc. and AECOM Hunt as the construction team; and
- Castle & Cooke Hawaii and Wilson Okamoto Corp as other team members.
Waiola Development Partners (WDP), a consortium comprising of:
- EllisDon Capital, Inc., BSC Acquisitions II, LLC, and Kobayashi Group LLC as the lead equity members;
- Design Partners Incorporated, MANICA Architecture, PA, and Stantec Architecture, Inc. as the design team;
- Nan, Inc. as the construction team; and
- Machete Group, ES CON Sports & Entertainment, Biederman Redevelopment Ventures, SSFM International, Inc., Rider Levett Bucknall Ltd., SHADE Group LLC, and PBR Hawaii & Associates, Inc. as other team members.
In June 2024, WDP withdrew from the procurement process. Notwithstanding this withdrawal, the procurement process continued as set out in the RFP. AHDP submitted its Proposal by July 31, 2024.
Qualifications Phase (December 2023 – March 2024)
On December 14, 2023, the first stage of the selection process, referred to as the Qualifications Phase, commenced with the issuance by the state of a Request for Proposals, soliciting proposals from offerors to deliver the NASED project). The Qualifications Phase was structured for the state to select a shortlist of Priority-Listed Offerors to proceed to the next stage of the procurement process, referred to as the Proposals Phase.
Market Sounding (June 2023 – December 2023)
The NASED team hosted a market sounding webinar on June 14, 2023.
The intent of the market sounding webinar was to present the proposed new approach for the project and answer initial questions from the audience.
Following the webinar, the state published a Request for Information (RFI) on the NASED website which sought feedback from prospective offerors. Sixteen written RFI responses were received, providing robust market feedback. The state then conducted a series of one-on-one meetings with RFI respondents and other parties to gain additional industry insights regarding the project.
As part of the NASED Market Sounding phase, the state Department of Accounting & General Services (DAGS) issued a second Request for Information (RFI-2) in November 2023 to help refine the procurement process. RFI-2 included several questions relating to the findings of the previously published Market Sounding Report in September 2023. The Market Sounding Report addendum was then published in December 2023.
The Market Sounding Report and associated addendum highlight the issues raised by prospective offerors in the Market Sounding process regarding the new approach, as well as the state’s approach to resolve these and deliver a successful, on-time project.
The state concluded Market Sounding for NASED on December 14, 2023, when the NASED Request for Proposals (RFP) was published.
Market Sounding Links