Three companies - Al-Hamed Development & Constructionand Al-Habtoor Engineering Enterprises, both local, and Lebanon's Arabian Construction Company (ACC)- submitted bids by the late-August deadline.

Called package D, the contract covers the construction of:

a 90,000-square-metre underground car park;

four-storey residential buildings, with a total built-up area of 49,000 square metres;

a 41,000-square-metre retail space; and

a 4,000-square-metre supermarket.

The facilities will take about 18 months to complete. The contract is estimated to be worth AED 300 million ($82 million).

The mixed-use UpTown Mirdif project covers the construction of residential apartments, shopping malls, food outlets, a cinema complex and related entertainment facilities.

The consultant is Lebanon's Khatib & Alami; the project manager is the local Edara. The client is Union Properties, also local.