Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa) is evaluating bids from nine companies for the contract to supply and install water transmission pipes at various locations in Dubai.

The bids were submitted for two sections of piping: A and B. The work will involve the supply, installation and testing of glass-reinforced water transmission links.

The lowest bid for section A, AED87.8m ($23.9m), was submitted by the local Al-Hijaz Mechanical Equipment Company. The bid was almost 4 per cent lower than the AED91.4m price submitted by the local Al-Rahji Construction.

The local Al-Nasr Contracting Company and Mabani Delma Contracting Company both submitted prices of AED93.8m.

Al-Hijaz was also the low bidder for section B, submitting a price of AED83.5m. The second-lowest price for section B, AED93.3m, was submitted by the local Ghantoot Gulf Contracting. The local Arco General Contracting submitted the third-lowest price of AED94.6m. Mabani Delma submitted a part offer of AED20.4m for section B.

In the water sector, Dewa is focusing current investment on improving transmission pipelines, with a capacity surplus meaning there is no immediate demand for new capacity. In the power sector, however, Dewa is pushing ahead with plans for the next phase of Dubai’s Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum Solar Park. The 13MW first phase of the park began operation on 22 October.

The utilities provider also recently received bids for the advisory services contract on its planned 2,000MW clean-coal fired independent power project (IPP).