Qatar's Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has invited firms to bid by 11 September for the General Engineering Consultancy – Site Supervision package for the state’s $14.6bn local roads and drainage programme (LRDP).

Ashghal said it is seeking to appoint one or more consultants, which will be responsible for data collection, planning, coordination, liaising with project stakeholders and other contractors, contract management and administration, and construction supervision, among others duties.

The services sought will initially run for three years with an option to extend the contract by a further two years at Ashghal’ s discretion.

Ashghal divided the LRDP works into five geographical areas, which together cover the entire country.

Ashghal appointed a general engineering consultant (GEC) to supervise each area. They are UK-based Hyder Consulting (Area 1), Aecom of the US (Area 2), US-based Parsons (Area 3), the UK's Atkins (Area 4), and Lebanese/Italian joint venture Dar al-Handasah and Italconsult (supplementary GEC).

MEED reported in March that Ashghal expects to tender major packages under the LRDP programme soon.

The roads and infrastructure packages include:

• Al-Meshaf (package 5)
• Jeryan Jenaihat (phase 2)
• Al-Kheesa North and East (Rawdat al-Hamama District) (package 2)
• Umm Salal Mohammed (package 1)
• Mebaireek (zone 81)
• Zone 54 (Muraikh, Luaib, Mehairja, Fereej al-Amir, North of Baaya and North Fereej al-Soudan)
• North of Ain Khalid (zone 56, package 1)

These packages are understood to have a budget of at least QR1bn ($274bn).

According to MEED Projects data, an estimated $2.6bn-worth of contracts under the programme have been completed, with a further $2.5bn under construction.

The rest of the packages, worth an estimated $10bn, are under procurement or design.

The entire programme is due for completion by 2020, two years prior to the staging of the Fifa World Cup.