A consortium of Lebanon-based Khatib & Alami and Spanish firm Getinsa Ingenieria is expected to complete before the end of June the terms of reference for the contract to build, finance and operate two monorail systems linking Cairo’s Nasr District to the New Cairo Capital and Giza to 6 October City.

This means the clients, Egypt’s Ministry of Housing, Utilities & Urban Communities and the Transport Ministry, could float the tender for the contract to the prequalified bidders by the third quarter of 2018, a source familiar with the scheme tells MEED.

The consortiums prequalified for both contracts are:

• Bombardier (Canada) / Orascom (local) / Arab Contractors (local)
• China Gezhouba Group (China) / China Railway Construction Corp (China) / Concord for Engineering & Construction (Egypt) / Samco (Egypt)
• China Railway (China) / Samcrete (local) / SNC Lavalin - Atkins (Canada) / Egyptian Railways Equipment (Semaf) (local)
• Chongqing International Construction / China Railway 11th Bureau Group (CRIIG) (China)
• Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (Italy) / Ansaldo (STS) - Hitachi (Italy/Japan) / Saipem (Italy)
• Scomi (Malaysia) / Arabtec (local) /Ministry of Military Production for Projects & Engineering (local) / Shaker Consultancy Group (local)

The Nasr District to New Cairo Capital monorail will be 52 kilometres, while the Giza to 6 October City monorail will be 35km.

Both projects are to be executed using a combined engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and financing model.

The consortiums are expected to provide technical, financial and commercial proposals once the tender is issued.

A consortium led by Canada’s Bombardier and another team led by China Gezhouba Group Corporation (CGGC) had previously submitted an offer for the monorail system that will link Giza to 6 October City.

It now appears that the latest procurement process, understood to be mandated directly by the Egyptian prime minister’s office, nullified the previous bidding and negotiation process.

Egyptian authorities have also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Canada’s Bombardier to undertake a study for the establishment of a monorail from Nasr City to New Cairo and the new administrative capital in 2017.