Three overseas companies have submitted tenders to replace the running track at the National Sports Centre.

The money-spinning contract is up for grabs because of drainage problems with the existing track.

Robert Johnston, of the Canada-based Johnston Sports Architecture, yesterday told The Royal Gazette that three offshore companies had submitted bids for the job.

Originally five companies -- which included two local firms -- had taken an interest in the contract after tender invitations were issued to various companies around the world.

The five businesses even took part in a site visit to the Prospect stadium, but Mr. Johnston said only three of those companies submitted tenders.

He said AstroTurf Surfaces Canada Ltd. submitted a base bid of $539,057 while Martin Surfacing Inc. placed a $542,325 bid. Mondo USA Inc. handed in a $1,197,000 tender.

"Presently we are analysing those bids,'' Mr. Johnston added. "That analysis is not yet public knowledge.'' A report, containing the analysis and recommendations, will be presented next Tuesday to the National Sports Centre's Board of Trustees.

"They will make the final decision,'' he said.

The race track, which originally cost $600,000 to be laid, is not the only controversy to plague the $46 million stadium and sports centre.

Johnston Sports Architects recently had to hire an Englishman to lay the Centre's cricket pitch.

Government spent thousands of dollars on expert training courses for two Bermudian cricket groundsmen in the 1980s -- but authorised the appointment of a British specialist because the Bermudians were not taught to develop a first class wicket from scratch.

And trustees chairman Donald Lines was also the centre of a Government investigation, which cleared him, after allegations that he had ties with stadium landscaping consultant Robert Duffy.

Last week stadium general manager Clifford Wade said the plan to re-lay the 400-metre track was running on schedule.

And he said the track would be out of action during July and August, Bermuda's driest months.

"There's a lot of preliminary work to be done before the tender winners even set about the task,'' he said. "The old track has to come up and there will be other preparation jobs to do.

"We need good, dry weather for the installation and thankfully July and August is not a busy period.''