Jordan has invited consultants to bid for a contract covering the feasibility study and detailed designs for a bus system connecting Amman to Zarqa.

The deadline for the request for proposals is 15 July and a pre-bid meeting is being held on 25 June.

A total of eight consortiums have already been prequalified for the project, after the government called for expressions of interest in March 2013.

The shortlisted groups are:

• Getinsa Ingeniera (Spain)/Sief Engineering Consultants (Kuwait)
• Systra (France)/Dar Al-Omran Infrastructure and Environment (local)/ Al-Abdulhadi Engineering Consultancy (Kuwait)
• WSP Genivar (UK)/Consolidated Consultants (local)/Logit (Brazil)/Saud al-Matouck Engineering Consultants
• Advanced Logistics Group (Spain)/Arabtech Jardaneh (Spain)/Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (Spain)/Dar SSH International Engineering Consultants (Kuwait)
• Idom (Spain)/Consulting Engineering Centre (local)/Pan Arab Consulting Engineers (Kuwait)
• Typsa (Spain)/Sener Ingenieria y Sistemas (Spain)/Dar Mazen al-Sane Engineering Consultants (Kuwait)/Sigma (UK)
• CPCS Transcom International (Canadian) /MRCagney (Australia)/AEC AL-AbdulHadi Engineering Consultancy (Kuwait)
• IBI Group (Canada)/Amman Consulting Engineering and Planning Office (local)/Dar Al-Dowailah Engineering consultants and construction managers (Kuwait)

The planned bus network is intended to ease congestion on the heavily used roads between the capital city of Amman and Zarqa which is 20-kilometres northeast of Amman.

Both cities are expecting their populations to increase, placing greater pressure on the current transport systems.

Originally the Jordanian government planned to develop a light rail system joining the two cities, funded via a public-private partnership. However, due to cost constraints the plans were dropped in favour of a bus system.

The scope of work on the tendered contract includes finalising the alignment of the bus corridor, design of stations and terminals, passenger and revenue forecasting and detailed engineering design.