New regional office in Vysočina may be paid for by a private company

Jihlava - The new regional administrative building in the Vysočina region may be financed and operated by a private company, and the region will pay rent for the use of the offices. This is one of the financing options for the construction costing several hundred million crowns, the advantages of which for the regional administration will now be assessed by experts. The new office is set to be established in the former Otakar Jaroš barracks in Jihlava. A study mapping the possibilities for collaboration between the region and the private sector will be prepared by next summer. Martin Černý from the regional department of regional development told ČTK today.
    Experts will evaluate the economic and legal impacts of five possible variants for the construction and operation of the regional headquarters. The region can be the investor in the construction, as it has been so far. However, for the first time, it will also consider that a selected private company could secure financing on its own, build the office, and operate it for a certain period, with the region paying rent. The Association for the Support of Public-Private Partnership Projects in the Czech Republic (PPP Association) will collaborate on the development of the study. The association is expected to contribute 250,000 crowns to the study, with the condition that it can utilize its results.
    The PPP Association is a professional association of 80 predominantly multinational companies that carry out such projects abroad. Some of the association's activities are subsidized by the EU, said its Executive Director Jan Šnajdr. According to him, municipalities in the Czech Republic are already collaborating with private companies in waste collection, ensuring public lighting, or transport services. For example, in Prague, the association is currently exploring whether, similar to abroad, private companies could ensure the long-term operation of buildings for schools, offices, and social care institutions.