Emaar Properties has invited companies to bid by 18 April for the enabling works contract for its planned expansion to Dubai Mall.

The local real estate developer had received bids from contractors at the end of January for a much larger contract covering the construction of the entire extension, but the tender was cancelled shortly after prices were submitted.

It is understood that the design of the mall was not complete and Emaar is now planning to tender an enabling works package, while design work continues with a new architectural consultant.

The expansion involves building a fashion avenue next to the existing mall, the lake, Burj Khalifa tower and the existing Address hotel offering 75,000 square metres of retail space and about 25,000 sq m of parking.

US-based Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart prepared the original designs with UK-based WSP.

The Dubai Mall was built by a joint venture of the local/UK Dutco Balfour Beatty and Athens-based Consolidated Contractors Company CCC.

At the end of 2012, Emaar awarded the contract to build the The Address The BLVD hotel and residential development in the Downtown Dubai area to Canada’s Brookfield Multiplex. The value of the contract has not been confirmed.

Located adjacent to the world’s tallest tower, Burj Khalifa, the 63-storey tower will contain 200 five-star hotel rooms and 542 serviced apartments. The 340-metre tower will house studios and apartments with up to four bedrooms. The project will be funded by offplan sales. The tower was designed by UK-based architecture firm Atkins.