Four consultancy firms are competing to win the project design and supervision consultancy services contract for the expansion and refurbishment of the main terminal building at Bahrain International airport.

The low bidder for the contract is Turkey’s NACO with a price of BD10.19m. The second lowest bidder was France’s ADPI with a price of BD11.3m. Lebanon’s Dar al-Handasah submitted a price of BD14.44m while the US’ HOK submitted a bid of BD20.2m. Bids were submitted on 15 August.

US company Aecom also submitted a bid but is listed by the Bahrain tender board as suspended from the project.

In early July, six companies submitted bids for the master-planning consultancy services contract for the airport expansion.

Bahrain airport has seen increasing numbers of passengers passing through the facility, with close to a 10 per cent increase in passenger numbers in 2012 compared with 2011. The airport recorded a total of 8,479,884 passengers last year.
 
Bahrain’s aviation sector has had a tough few years. During the regional political upheaval in 2011, the country’s airlines and airport had to contend with government restrictions on where passenger aircraft could fly.

This, in part, has led to the liquidation of the country’s private airline Bahrain Air earlier this year and the restructuring of national carrier Gulf Air.