Bahrain’s Housing Ministry has received prequalification entries from 11 companies for the contract to build primary sewerage and treated sewage effluent (TSE) networks at Al-Madina al-Shamaliya.

The project is to be funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, and, as a result, prequalification was open for local and UAE companies, or foreign firms in joint-venture with companies from Bahrain or the UAE.

The 11 groups that submitted prequalification entries include the following companies:

• Ahmed Mansoor Al-A Ali (local)
• Al-Ghanim International (Kuwait)/Hyper Contracting (UAE)
• Al-Hasanain (local)
• Al-Moayyed (local)
• Arabtec Construction (UAE)
• Hedley International Emirates (UAE)
• KMC (local)/Mace Contractors (UAE)
• Mushrif Trading & Contracting (Kuwait)
• Sinohydro Corporation (China)
• Tecton Engineering (UAE)
• Terna (Greece)

In the first quarter of this year, Bahrain’s Works Ministry received prequalification entries from 17 firms for the contract to build the Al-Madina al-Shamaliya sewage treatment plant (STP) and long sea outfall project.

The first phase of the STP will have a capacity of 40,000 cm/d and is scheduled to be completed by 2017. The STP and associated works is also being funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development.

The bidding groups contain the following companies:

• Bahrain Pipeline Company (local)/R Grobmann (Germany)/Neemtech (UAE)
• Belhasa Projects (UAE)/Wabag (Austria/local)
• Crown Electro-Mechanical Services (local)/Korea Engineering Consultants Corporation (KECC)
• Degremont (France)/Alghandi (UAE)/CCC (Athens-based)
• Drake & Scull (UAE)/Aziz Contracting (Saudi Arabia)
• Eagle Electromechanical Company (UAE)
• GP Zachariades (local)/Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies (VWS) (France)
• Gulf Canadian Engineering Consultancy (UAE)
• KCC Engineering and Contracting Company (KCCEC) (Kuwait)/Gulf Eco (UAE)
• Kharafi National Company (Kuwait)
• KMC (local)/Mace Contractors (UAE)/Hyundai Rotem (South Korea)
• Larsen & Toubro Saudi (India)/Waterleau (Belgium)/Al-Moayyed Contractors (local)
• Metito (UAE)/Mushrif Trading & Contracting (Kuwait)
• NBHH (UAE)/Batco (Lebanon)
• Six Construct (Belgium)
• SNC Lavalin International (local)
• Tecton (UAE)/WTE (Germany)

The Al-Madina al-Shamaliya scheme is one of two major STP projects the Works Ministry is pushing ahead with in 2014. The other project is the expansion of the existing Tubli STP, which will double the capacity of the facility from the existing 200,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d) to 400,000 cm/d. The Tubli expansion is scheduled to be carried out between 2015 and 2018.

The ministry received prequalification entries from 25 groups in December. The project is being funded by the governments of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

The Tubli expansion project was originally scheduled to follow the example of the Muharraq wastewater treatment plant, currently being developed by a consortium led by South Korea’s Samsung Engineering, and be procured by a public-private partnership (PPP) model. However, the Works Ministry has re-evaluated the Tubli plans and will now develop the project using a more traditional procurement method.