Abu Dhabi Airports Company (Adac) has asked contractors bidding for the estimated AED11bn ($3bn) contract to build the midfield terminal at Abu Dhabi International airport to extend the validity of their tender bonds to the end of July.

The company wants to extend the validity of the bonds so that contractors’ prices, which were submitted earlier this year, remain valid giving it more time to consider awarding the contract. The four groups that were invited to submit best offers for the contract in February were:

• Bechtel Corporation (US)/Al-Jaber Group (local)/Enka (Turkey)
• Hyundai Engineering & Construction (South Korea)/Kumho Engineering & Construction (South Korea)/China State Construction Engineering Corporation (China)/Al-Shafar General Contracting Company (local)
• Samsung C&T (South Korea)/Six Construct Abu Dhabi (local/Belgium)/Arabian Construction Company (ACC) (local/Lebanon)
• TAV (Turkey)/Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) (Athens-based)/Arabtec Construction (local)

The midfield terminal will be built between the two existing runways at Abu Dhabi International airport. The total built-up area will be 630,000 square metres and it will also include a multi-storey car park. The terminal will include 27,000 sq m of retail and food and beverage outlets. It will also comprise 65 contact gates that will be able to accommodate the Airbus A380 aircraft.

Adac has also invited contractors to submit bids by 6 May for the contract to build the airside areas for the terminal that will support the 65 aircraft contact gates and up to 19 remote stands.

The construction work involves infrastructure and civils works around the midfield complex, including 300,000 sq m of pavement concrete, 600,000 sq m of flexible pavement with taxiway connections to the existing and future taxi way systems, and the installation of utilities such as power, stormwater drainage, and the jet fuel system.