Bidders prepare for Riyadh light railway network

01 April 2004
Eleven prequalified consultants are preparing to submit bids by 21 April to Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA) for the contract to carry out the preliminary engineering designs on the Riyadh light railway (LR) scheme. ADA plans to complete the first stage of the planned light railway by 2013 (MEED 27:02:04).

Of the 11 prequalified consultants, several are understood to be planning to set up a joint venture. Among the potential bidders are Germany's Dornier Consulting, which completed a feasibility and preliminary design study for the project in June, the US' Parsons Brinckerhoff Internationaland France's Systra.

The successful bidder for the preliminary engineering design contract, also referred to as 30 per cent design, will be selected by late April, ADA says. The contract will take 12-18 months.

The design contract will cover two light rail lines running north-south and east-west, a total distance of about 38 kilometres. The project will cost an estimated SR 1,500 million ($400 million). ADA says the 30 per cent study will assist the authority in making a decision on whether the project will be carried out on a design-build (DB), design-build-operate (DBO) or a design-build-operate-finance (DBOF) basis.

ADA has also shortlisted two consultants for the project to carry out a study determining the final scope of the LR network.

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