Carisbrook Stadium Trust chief executive Ewan Soper suggested yesterday tenders from builders keen to get the stadium contract might become more competitive.
"I don't know for sure, and I can only speculate, as anybody else can really, but if the construction industry has quietened down a bit then it may be a really good time for us to be going out to get a price."
The trust announced last month it was seeking a main construction contractor, subcontractors and suppliers for the stadium.
Asked if there was a date when the trust would go to the market, Mr Soper said it was "very early days" and the design project team was still going through the registrations of interest requested from contractors and suppliers last month.
The other aspect of the stadium that might benefit from the global downturn is the cost of steel for the project.
Cr Dave Cull yesterday questioned whether the falling New Zealand dollar might push up steel prices already at historically high levels.
The dollar was at US63.4c yesterday, not far off a two-year low.
However, a steel industry source told the Otago Daily Times yesterday New Zealand steel prices at construction level did not behave like oil prices when exchange rates changed.
While "hot rolled coil steel" was a global commodity, "the closer to the customer you go, the more there will be variation in price from market to market".
Eighty percent of the country's steel comes from New Zealand Steel, which manufacturers it from iron sand.
Most of the rest is recycled scrap metal.
The source suggested steel for the stadium would quite likely come from New Zealand Steel and the price "wouldn't be hugely affected by the dollar".
And looking even further ahead, he suggested a world recession could drive down the price of steel and other construction materials likely to be used on the stadium.
"If the materials they are using are at historical highs, and some of them are, then you could actually argue that those raw materials are going to get cheaper."
Fletcher Building general manager investor relations Philip King, said yesterday many of New Zealand's building products were manufactured locally, which meant less impact from a declining dollar.
"I wouldn't say we are wholly disconnected from international commodity prices in some of these areas but on the other hand, to an extent, manufacturing locally gives you protection from currency movements.
Fletcher Construction is the lead contractor on the $240.5 million upgrade of Eden Park, in Auckland.
