Egypt’s Executive Agency for Red Sea Development Projects has floated four tenders for the construction of 1,000 housing units in Hurghada. Bidders need to be classified by the Contractors Federation not less than grade 3 for integrated building works. The deadlines for bids are 11 and 12 June.

With Egypt facing an estimated shortfall of about 1.5 million homes, a revival in the country’s beleaguered construction industry has been launched by a government house-building programme that has seen Cairo enter into a series of strategic agreements with consultants and contractors to develop and deliver new masterplans for housing developments.

The most spectacular of the deals was agreed in early March, when UAE-based Arabtec Holding signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Egypt’s Ministry of Defence to develop and construct 1 million units of affordable housing in 13 locations across the country.

The project is the biggest of its kind in the region, with an estimated overall development value of $40bn.

In February, Egypt’s Red Sea Governorate housing directorate in Hurghada issued seven tenders for the construction of 1,000 housing units in the municipality of Ras Ghareb. The housing units are split into eight contracts that are to be completed in 12 months.

In December, Egypt’s Housing Cooperative for Employees at Hotels & Tourist Villages in Hurghada issued a tender for the construction of a residential compound in the Al-Ahyaa District in Hurghada. The scope of work entails the construction of 2,453 single-storey housing units.

Earlier in December, Egypt’s General Authority for New Urban Societies issued five tenders for the construction of 51 residential buildings as part of a social housing project in New Minya City. A total of 1,224 housing units will be built in the city as part of the development.