Aviation authority sets closing date for Jeddah airport deals

24 January 2010

Design and build contracts are for a new terminal and infrastructure

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (Gaca) has set an 8 March closing date for two major design and build contracts on the SR18bn ($4.8bn) expansion of King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah.

The first contract covers the new terminal building and the second is for infrastructure works. The terminal deal will involve designing and building a 600,000-square-metre terminal capable of handling 30 million passengers a year. The infrastructure contract is to design and build runways, tunnels and a light rail system.

According to sources close to the project, at least six groups have been invited to bid for both contracts. They include the local Almabani General Contractors Company, Athens-based Consolidated Contractors Company, Cyprus-based Joannou & Paraskevaides, the local Saudi Binladin Group, a joint venture of Saudi Oger and South Africa’s Murray & Roberts Contractors (Middle East), and Turkey’s TAV with the local Al-Rajhi Group.

Gaca chose to change its procurement strategy to speed up the project in December. It previously planned to award one design contract and separate contracts for the construction of each element of the airport instead of awarding two larger contracts for both design and construction work (MEED 24:12:09).

The new procurement strategy will shorten the project’s delivery time as contractors will now be able to start some of the construction work before all the design work has been finalised.

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