The local Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) is prequalifying contractors and about to tender new construction work on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi.

On 23 July, TDIC invited companies to prequalify for museum infrastructure work on Saadiyat Island’s Cultural District. The works will include the construction of roads, utilities, and general infrastructure serving the museums that are being built on the island. TDIC earlier invited contractors to prequalify for a contract to build a tunnel serving the Cultural District.

Contractors in Abu Dhabi area also expecting TDIC to tender the construction contract for the Zayed National Museum project by the end of July. The main construction contract includes the concrete superstructure, structural steelwork and specialist cladding, mechanical, electrical and plumbing, and the interior fit-out.

It is not clear how many companies have prequalified for the contract. The prequalified include:

• Al-Futtaim Carillion (local/UK)
• Alec (local)
• Arabian Construction Company (ACC) (local/Lebanon)
• Arabtec Construction (local)
• Bam (Netherlands)
• China State Construction Engineering Corporation (China)/Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC)(Athens-based)/OHL (Spain)
• El-Seif Engineering & Contracting (Saudi Arabia)/Ghantoot Group (local)
• Murray & Roberts (South Africa)
• Six Construct Abu Dhabi(local/Belgium)/Dhabi Contracting (local)

Italy’s Swissboring completed the enabling works, the local NSCC completed the piling, and a joint venture of the local/Australian Habtoor Leighton Group and South Africa’s Murray & Roberts Contractors completed the substructure.

In January, TDIC awarded the main construction contract to build the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum on Saadiyat Island to a joint venture of the local Arabtec, Spain’s Constructora San Jose and Oger Abu Dhabi.

TDIC is also working on other project on the Saadiyat Island. In mid-July, construction work started on the Cranleigh Abu Dhabi school, which is expected to open in 2014. The school’s piling and early construction works were awarded to the local NSCC. Work on the school’s superstructure is expected to start in the fourth quarter of this year. The architect is UK-based Godwin Austen Johnson Architects.

TDIC’s projects have been a catalyst for other projects starting on Saadiyat Island. Local hotel operator Rotana has invited contractors to express interest in the contract to build its Saadiyat Rotana Resort development in Abu Dhabi.

The five-star hotel will have 354 rooms and 13 beach villas. The project completion date has been set for 2015, the same year the nearby Louvre Abu Dhabi museum is set to open.

The local Al-Jaber Group won another contract to build a new residential development on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island. The project is being developed by the local Saadiyat Development & Investment Company, which received bids from companies for the contract in March.

Known as Hidd al-Saadiyat, the first phase of the project involves the construction of 280 villas. The scheme’s second phase comprises 206 villas. The second phase will start six months after construction of the first phase has started. The project also involves the construction of two single-storey community centres.