Oman’s Transport & Communications Ministry has received bids for a construction contract on the Nizwa to Ibri road.

The work involves constructing a dual carriageway between Jabrin and Ibri. It is the second stage of the ministry’s project to convert the single carriageway from Nizwa to Ibri into a dual carriageway.

The ministry received bids from 20 groups on 2 March.

The low bidder is Iranian contractor Kayson, with a price of OR32.4m ($84.2m). This is 6 per cent lower than the price of OR34.4m submitted by the second lowest bidder, the local Desert Line Projects. Another local firm, Galfar Engineering & Contracting, submitted the third lowest bid at OR35.3m.

Other bidders include Iran’s 115 Construction & Installation Company at OR36m, Turkey’s Sezai Turkes at OR36.8m, and the local Strabag (Oman) at OR37.5m.