Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran) has received bids from contractors for the deal to build the convention centre, known as package three, at its convention and exhibition centre development near Muscat International airport.

India’s Oman Shapoorji Pallonji submitted the low bid for the main contract, with a price of RO106m ($275m), which was about 5 per cent lower than the price of RO111m submitted by a joint venture of the UAE’s Alec and the local Services & Trade.

The other bidders are a joint venture of Spain’s OHL and the local Galfar Engineering & Contracting at RO112m, the local/UK Carillion Allawi at RO113m and Athens-based Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) at RO126m.

The scope of work entails building the main auditorium, which will have a seating capacity of 3,100, a secondary auditorium with 450 seats, two ballrooms, a food court, 20 meeting rooms, roads and car parks.

Oman Shapoorji Pallonji was also the low bidder for a variety of options that contractors submitted for different roof types.

In June 2013, Omran awarded a $202m contract to the local/UK Carillion Alawi for the second construction package on the project. Carillion Alawi will be responsible for the construction of 13 buildings including exhibition halls with a gross floor area of 45,000 square metres, an energy centre, ancillary buildings for security, taxi services, maintenance, waste management facilities and electrical substations, and car parks for 4,200 vehicles.

In April 2010, UK-based RMJM was awarded the main consultancy deal, which involves design and engineering work for the project. Canada’s Hanscomb & Company is the quantity surveyor. US-based WATG is masterplanning the development.