The Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) has extended closing date for the contract to build its estimated $200m new headquarters building in Kuwait City to 12 February 2012.

The previous submission date was 27 December.

The client prequalified three local contractors and five joint ventures in March. Each is made up of an international company and a local partner, to participate in the tender (MEED 25:3:11).

The prequalified groups are:

• Ahmadiah Contracting Company (local)
• Al-Habtoor Leighton (Australia/UAE)/Alghanim International General Trading & Contracting Company
• Arabtec Construction (UAE)/Combined Group Contracting Company (local)
• China Railway 18^th Bureau Group/Mohammed Abdulmohsin al-Kharafi & Sons (local)
• First United General Trading & Contracting Company (local)
• Rizzani De Eccher (Italy)/Six Construct (Belgium)/ Al-Bahar Construction General Trading & Contracting Company (local)
• Sayed Hamid Behbehani & Sons (local)
• Tasyapi Insaat Sanayi ve Ticaret (Turkey)/Al-Ahlia Contracting Group (local)

The proposed building will be a 220-metre-tall tower in the centre of Kuwait City, which will include an auditorium and other public facilities in a six-storey podium. The structure will cover a total area of 130,000 square metres.

The tower will be the fourth-tallest in Kuwait when it is completed.

The building was designed by the local KEO International Consultants, which was awarded the design contract in 2007 after beating competition from five international design firms (MEED 28:9:07).