Saudi Aramco has received bids from at least six groups on 9 July for the contract to build a 60,000-seat stadium at its King Abdullah Sports City development near Jeddah.

The bidders include:

• Alpine Bau (Austria)
• Besix (Belgium)/Al-Muhaidib Trading & Contracting Establishment (local)
• Bouygues Construction (France)
• El-Seif Engineering Contracting (local)/Hyundai Engineering & Construction Company (South Korea)
• Nesma & Partners Company (local)/Samsung C&T (South Korea)
• Saudi Oger (local)

UK-based Arup is the consultant on the scheme.

When King Abdullah Sports City was approved by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud in February 2009, it included a 100,000 seat stadium and a number of other sporting venues and structures. It was planned to cover an area of 9 square-kilometres, some 60km north of Jeddah alongside the Mecca-Medina highway.

However, the project has since been downsized and it is currently only the 60,000 stadium project that is being tendered.

Aramco was given the task of developing the scheme on behalf of the government in 2009. In 2010, it tendered road building and enabling works for the project. The enabling works involves earthworks, such as general site levelling and preparation.

State oil company Aramco has become a prominent civil construction client in recent years. In February, it awarded UAE-based Drake & Scull International a SR2bn ($533m) contract to build the commercial buildings for the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies Research Centre (Kapsarc) in Riyadh (MEED 13:2:11).

Last year Aramco awarded a SR2bn ($533m) contract for the King Abdulaziz Centre for Knowledge & Culture in the country’s Eastern Province and a SR1.9bn contract to build the residential buildings at the Kapsarc development. In 2009 it completed the King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (Kaust) in Mecca.