Dubai Municipality has invited companies to bid for two consultancy contracts for the planned deep-tunnel sewer network in the Deira and Bur Dubai areas of the emirate.

MEED reported in December 2014 that the municipality was planning a project similar to the Strategic Tunnel Enhancement Programme (STEP) under way in Abu Dhabi.

For the first contract, the municipality is seeking to appoint a consultant to provide supervision services for a 26-kilometre long tunnel in the Deira area of Dubai. For the second contract, consultants are being sought to assist with the development of a 56km-long deep-tunnel sewer in the Bur Dubai area of the city.

Consultants have until 6 September to submit bids.

Dubai is following the lead of Abu Dhabi, which is close to completing the STEP scheme. The main tunnelling works on the $1.6bn project were completed in 2014, and Abu Dhabi is hoping to have the system operational by the end of 2015.

 The 41-kilometre deep-sewer tunnel runs from Abu Dhabi Island, at 24 metres below ground, south to the mainland, where it descends to 80 metres underground in places.

The main tunnelling works were let through three major deals. Two of these were constructed by consortiums led by Italy’s Impregilo, and the third was by a consortium headed by South Korea’s Samsung C&T.

Delegates at MEED’s Abu Dhabi Energy, Industry & Infrastructure conference in December 2014 were told that construction work on the major pumping station for the STEP scheme, at Al-Wathba, is 40 per cent complete, and the full project is on schedule for completion by the end of 2015.