Kuwait’s Central Tenders Committee (CTC) has approved the award of a KD74.9m ($274m) contract to the local Mohammmed Abdulmoshin al-Kharafi & Sons to build, operate and manage two service stations and annexed buildings at the new Sabah al-Salem University campus in Kuwait.

The CTC had received bids from eight contractors on 4 January and approved the contract award at the end of April. CTC approval is the final step before a formal contract award is made.

Mohammmed Abdulmoshin al-Kharafi & Sons’ low bid was 14.1 per cent lower than the KD87.2m price submitted by the second lowest bidder, the local office of Athens-based Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC).

The project is the latest of a number of construction packages that have been tendered for the new $3bn Sabah al-Salem university campus, which will be located at Shadadiyah, 20km west of Kuwait City.

The university recently extended the bid deadline for the contract to build its College of Science and Faculty Club project at its new $3bn Sabah al-Salem campus to 24 May 2011. The previous submission date was 10 May.

The College of Science and Faculty Club will comprise three primary elements – a men’s campus, a women’s campus, and a faculty club. The separate male and female campuses will each comprise about six structures linked by bridges. The faculty club will be a single building located between the male and female sections, which will also be connected by bridges.

In December last year, the university selected the consortium of the China Metallurgical Construction Corporation and the local Khalid Ali al-Kharafi & Brothers to build the estimated KD142.1m ($503.5m) College of Engineering and Petroleum (Coep).

Designed by the local Gulf Consult and US-based Cambridge Seven Associates, the new facility will include eight engineering departments, as well as the university’s department of architecture.

Scheduled for completion in 2014, the college will be divided into two buildings – one for male students, the other for female students. The two buildings will contain separate laboratories, lecture halls, auditoriums, conference rooms, exhibition space, prayer rooms and faculty offices, while sharing a central library.

When completed, the Sabah al-Salem integrated campus will comprise more than 25 faculty buildings. It will include a 600-bed hospital, car parks with space for more than 32,000 vehicles, dormitories, sports facilities and auditoriums.