In August 2007, the government body responsible for the delivery of the Antwerp Mobility Plan, Beheersmaatschappij Antwerpen Mobiel, launched the tender for the project. The scope of the project consists of 7km of light rail infrastructure in the eastern part of the City of Antwerp and a large tram maintenance depot for 53 trams in Wijnegem, as well as the comprehensive renewal of associated street infrastructure. The aim of the project is to facilitate the connection from the city centre to remote municipalities, in order to reduce the number of cars in the city by improving connectivity and promoting public transport. The project is part of the Antwerp Mobility Plan which was initiated in 2003, consisting of several improvement projects with the aim that, by 2020, half of all journeys in the region were to be made by public transport, bicycle or on foot.
Though the procurement was led by Beheersmaatschappij Antwerpen Mobiel, in May 2009, the Project Company entered into the two contracts (here collectively referred to as the PPP contract) with the Flemish Road Agency and the Flemish public transport company, De Lijn. The first contract period is 28 years, including three years of construction with the possibility of an extension of 10 more years in relation to the rail network extension and maintenance depot with De Lijn. The second contract period is 38 years, including three years of construction for the renewal of the associated street infrastructure with the Flemish Road Agency.
With construction works to be carried out within a specified time period and within a constrained urban area, the Procuring Authorities' rationale for this ambitious scope was to keep responsibilities in the hands of one party and allow for the allocation of interface risks to the private sector, creating an incentive to manage them adequately. The main advantages were accountability, value for money and nuisance mitigation.