Jordan’s Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC) has extended the deadline for seeking interest from consultancy firms from 6 October to 5 December for a contract to prepare tender documents for the port management systems (PMS) and information and communication technologies (ICT) infrastructure for the Aqaba New Port Project.

“We hope to shortlist the consultancy firms by early 2017,” an ADC spokesperson tells MEED.

ADC has indicated it would prefer a joint venture consisting of an international consultancy and a Grade A local consultancy firm, both of which must have an experience in the design of enterprise resource planning (ERP) system focusing on port management.

In May, ADC invited expressions of interest from contractors for the project to expand the marine works and grain silos at the second phase of the Port of Aqaba. This package was being funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD).

Expanding the Port of Aqaba is considered a national priority for Jordan. It is the country’s sole maritime gateway and a centrepiece of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone (Asez), which aspires to be a leading multi-modal logistics trade gateway for the Levant region on the Red Sea