Local real estate developer Aldar Properties has invited companies to bid by 17 June for a contract to build 600 villas on its Yas Island development in Abu Dhabi.

The Emirati housing community will be built in Zone K of Yas Island and is known as the Garden Crescent development.

The prospective bidders include:

• Al-Habtoor Leighton Group (local/Australia)
• Commodore Contracting Company (local)
• Arabtec Construction (local)
• El-Seif Engineering Contracting (Saudi Arabia)
• Consolidated Contractors Company (Athens-based)
• Al-Jaber Group (local)
• Square General Contracting (local)
• National Projects Construction (local)

Aldar Properties is also preparing to tender a contract to complete non-residential buildings that will support the community living in the villas. The buildings include a 23,000-square-metre school, a 2,500 sq m mosque, a 4,400 sq m shopping centre and a 1,700 sq m recreation club.

The architect of record is US-based RW Armstrong.

In 2009, Aldar Properties awarded more than $1bn of construction contracts on another Emirati housing community known as Al-Fallah villas. The developer awarded three contracts, which are worth up to AED2.6bn each ($706m), to Al-Jaber Group; El-Seif, and Malaysia’s Pembinaan SPK.

The villas are near Abu Dhabi International airport and the Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway.