The local Al-Futtaim Group has set a 14 January tender closing date for the contract to build its Big Box retail centre in the Jebel Ali area of Dubai.

The prospective bidders for the contract, which is estimated to be worth about AED850m ($232m), are understood to include:

• Al-Futtaim Carillion (local/UK)
• Al-Naboodah Contracting Company (local)
• Alec (local)
• ASGC (local)
• Khansaheb Civil Engineering (local)
• Shapoorji Pallonji (India)

Contractors had submitted bids last year before Al-Futtaim chose to retender the contract.

The mall will have about 100 retail units including a hypermarket, an Ikea furniture store, an Ace Hardware store, as well as food and beverage outlets.

The foundations are being prepared by Germany’s Bauer. The consultant is the local Brewer Smith Brewer Gulf. The cost consultant is the US’ Aecom.

The mall is one of the major components of the larger Wasl Gate development, which is being developed by the local Wasl on a 1.5 million square-metre site next to Energy metro station in the Jebel Ali area. Earlier this year, the local Al-Naboodah Construction started work on the estimated AED120m infrastructure contract for the development.

Those works include the installation of general infrastructure and roads and the diversion of existing utilities.

Preparatory works for the project were completed in 2016 by the local Port Saeed Transport & Building Contracting Company. Those works included bulk earthworks and the demolition of workers camps in the area.