Qatar’s Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has extended the deadline to 10 November for companies seeking to prequalify for its multibillion-dollar Expressway Programme.

In July, Ashghal reopened the process for prequalification for local and international companies seeking to build road schemes under the Expressway Programme. The authority is seeking to establish a data bank of firms experienced in “high quality and innovative infrastructures” for road projects in the programme. Ashghal prequalified several local and international contractors to bid for expressway schemes in early 2012.

Work on the programme started last year and the contracts signed to date total QR16bn ($4.4bn), according to Ashghal. A further 27 construction packages involving expressways and primary urban and rural routes in and around Doha will be launched over the next five years. A total of 900 kilometres of roads, avenues, viaducts, tunnels and other road structures are forecast to be built under the programme.

To prequalify, companies should have the following requirements: minimum annual revenues of QR1.5bn in the areas of infrastructure, roads and bridges over the past five years; successful conclusion of road schemes over the past five years for an accumulated value of more than QR500m; and audited balance sheets from 2008 to 2012.