Bahrain’s tender board has lifted the suspension on the bid submitted by Saudi Oger and Korea Water Resources Corporation to build the Muharraq wastewater treatment plant and sewage conveyance system.

The bid submitted by Saudi Oger and Korea Water Resources Corporation was initially suspended by the tender board as the group entered a copy of the bid bond instead of the original in the commercial bid envelope.

However, the tender board has now overturned the decision following an appeal from the bidding group on the basis that the bid was in fact submitted in line with the request for proposals guidelines.

The following bids were opened last week with prices as follows:

• Acciona (Spain)/Kuwait Finance House (Kuwait) - 0.6072 BD/cubic metres (cu m)
• United Utilities (UK)/Samsung Engineering (South Korea) - 0.550 BD/cu m
• Saudi Oger (Saudi Arabia)/Korea Water Resources Corporation (South Korea) - 0.6896 BD/cu m
• Metito (UAE)/Berlinwasser (Germany) - 0.7165 BD/cu m
• Degremont (France)/ Sumitomo (Japan) - 0.7426 BD/cu m

Berlinwasser and Metito submitted a bid of 0.7165 BD/cu m and an alternative bid of 0.6081 BD/cu m. The bid submitted by Degremont and Sumitomo had a price of 0.7426 BD/cu m and an alternative bid of 0.6675 BD/cu m (MEED 13:5:10).

An evaluation process will be undertaken and a shortlist of around three bids will be announced within the next four to five weeks.

The government of Bahrain is being advised by Germany’s Fichtner, UK bank HSBC and UK law firm Norton Rose on the project.