Six project management consultancy (PMC) firms have been prequalified for the master plan of Iran’s 14,000 hectare airport city, which will be built around the Imam Khomeini International airport.

The six PMC firms are Naco of the Netherlands, Brazil’s Progen, Italy’s One-works, Germany’s Obermeyer, Canada’s Zas Group and South Korea’s Heerim.

A request for proposal (RFP) has been sent to each of thefirms and proposals are due to be submitted on 26 August, say sources close to the project.

The client, Iran’s Roads & Urban Development Ministry, will review each proposal and decide at a later stage if it requires the PMCs to partner with local engineering firms.

The airport city will host a free zone, cargo facilities and residential communities and could take up to 30 years to complete.

The design for the master plan has been completed in 2012 by Tehran-based Rah Shahr International Group in partnership with Japan’s Nekken Sikkei.

Meanwhile, Imam Khomeini International has been accepting letters of interest (LoIs) from major firms for the $2.8bn construction of a second terminal at the IKIA.

Two of the confirmed companies that have expressed an interest in the project are France’s ADPI Group in partnership with Rah Shahr International Group, and France’s Buoygues. The bid date for Terminal 2 has not been confirmed. ADPI has confirmed with MEED that its CEO will be visiting Tehran to discuss the project.

MEED can reveal that the Roads & Urban Development Ministry is currently considering a build-lease-transfer (BLT) model for Terminal 2. The funding structure has not yet been finalised, although the reported norm in Iran’s public infrastructure projects is for the government to retain at least 15 per cent ownership.