Consultants have been giving presentations to Abu Dhabi General Services Company (Musanada) for contracts to manage AED25bn-AED30bn ($6.8bn-$8.2bn) of construction projects in the UAE capital.

Firms are expected to be appointed during the second quarter of this year. Bids were submitted earlier this year.

Musanada intends to appoint firms to manage work on three broad business lines on a three-year deal with the option to extend for another two years to ensure ongoing schemes are completed. The selected consultants will take over from the US-based Aecom, which has been acting as the company’s project manager on a two-year contract.

The business lines are healthcare, which involves managing construction projects being built for Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha); infrastructure, which includes schemes for the Department of Transport (DoT); and buildings, which will cover building projects for entities such as the Abu Dhabi Education Council.

Musanada’s role in Abu Dhabi’s construction sector was enhanced last year, when it was mandated with managing all government construction projects in the emirate. The decision, which was taken by Abu Dhabi’s Executive Council, means large-scale schemes that were being delivered by other government agencies will now be transferred to Musanada.

The move involves staff from organisations such as the DoT and Seha transferring across to Musanada to manage projects such as Abu Dhabi Metro, the Mafraq-Ghuweifat highway and Sheikh Khalifa Medical City.

Musanada is a public joint stock company backed by the Abu Dhabi government. It was established by Abu Dhabi ruler and UAE president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan in 2007 with the passing of Law 27.

The firm was formed to provide best-in-class shared services to the Abu Dhabi government in four business areas: design and construction project management, which includes housing and infrastructure; facilities management; technology; and business support.