Contractors are preparing to submit bids on 16 June for the deal to build the InterContinental hotel at Doha Festival City.

The original closing date was 19 May.

The prospective bidders include:

• Gulf Contracting Company (local) / Alec Qatar (local/UAE)
• Qatari Arabian Construction Company (local/Lebanon)

The two-year contract involves building a 351-room hotel next to the development’s shopping mall. The structure will have a ground floor, mezzanine level and four other floors, and will include a ballroom and conference facilities.

The lead consultant is Arcadis of the Netherlands. The architectural consultant is South Africa’s DSA. The engineering consultant is the local Arab Engineering Bureau.

The QR1.65bn ($453m) deal to build the Doha Festival City shopping mall was awarded to the Gulf Contracting/Alec team in 2014. An earlier smaller phase, which was opened in March 2013, included the construction of Qatar’s first Ikea store. That work was completed by a joint venture of Qatari Arabian Construction Company and the local Amana Qatar Contracting Company.

Located on the northern highway leading out of the capital, the Doha Festival City development will include the main shopping mall, an entertainment park, two hotels and an automotive park with car showrooms. The complex will cover a total area of 433,000 square metres.

The scheme is owned and developed by Bawabat al-Shamal, the parent company, which is supplying the land to build the project. Bawabat al-Shamal comprises four primary shareholders: Al-Futtaim Real Estate Services; Qatar Islamic Bank; Aqar Real Estate Investment Company; and a private company.