Awards are due to be made imminently on the two main process packages at the multi-billion-dollar National ChevronPhillips (NCP) olefins complex in Jubail, following the submission of final revised prices in mid-October.

Three international contractors are actually bidding for the engineering, procurement and construction contract to build the ethylene cracker. They

are Italy's Snamprogetti, Japan's JGC Corporation and

South Korea's Samsung Engineering Company.

The shortlist for the polyolefins package, covering four

main units that will produce polyethylene, polypropylene, hexane-1 and polystyrene, is understood to

be down to South Korea's Daelim Industrial Company and

Italy's Tecnimont.

Both deals will be awarded on a cost-reimbursable basis with a mandatory conversion to a lump-sum turnkey basis during the engineering process. This is aimed at avoiding the difficulties clients and contractors face in agreeing cost estimates for the execution phase.

Parsons E&C, part of Australia's WorleyParsons,

is the front-end engineering

and design and offsites and

utilities contractor.