Contractors in Doha are preparing to submit bids on 22 April for the deal to build the estimated QR1bn ($272m) Doha Marina Mall for local developer Mazaya Qatar Real Estate Development Company.

Contractors had earlier been invited to submit bids in March.

Located in the Lusail district to the north of Doha, the mall will have three levels of shops, a hypermarket, a cinema and outdoor terraces overlooking the marina. Work on the main construction contract involves completing all the buildings together with two underground parking levels. The total built-up area is 235,100 square metres.

The UAE-based NSCC is working on the mall’s foundations. The contract includes piling and shoring works, excavation and dewatering. The consultants working on the scheme include Denmark’s Ramboll and the US’ HOK.

Mazaya signed a deal with Qatar Foundation to build and manage the mall in 2010.

Construction work has started on another mall development in the Doha area. In late January, the deal for the construction of phase two of Doha Festival City was awarded to a joint venture of the local Gulf Contracting Company and Alec Qatar.

The companies have been hired to start work on the foundations of the scheme’s main shopping mall, which is scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2016.

Located on the northern highway leading out of the capital, the development will include the main shopping mall, an entertainment park, two hotels and an auto park with car showrooms. The complex will cover a total area of 433,000 sq m.

The Doha Festival City scheme is owned and developed by Bawabat al-Shamal, the parent company, which is supplying the land to build the scheme. Bawabat al-Shamal comprises four primary shareholders: Al-Futtaim Real Estate Services; Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB); Aqar Real Estate Investment Company; and a private company.