Four companies bid for the estimated $400 million project in late September, but contractors say a clear frontrunner has not yet emerged. As a result of the January meetings, the companies will submit adjusted prices in early February.

The bidders are Germany's Uhde, Japan's Toyo Engineering Corporation, Italy's Snamprogettiwith Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industriesand Halliburton KBRof the US with Chiyoda Corporation, also of Japan.

The project will involve the addition of two new world-class urea and ammonia lines at Safco's Jubail complex. Each line will have capacity of about 1 million tonnes a year.