Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has prequalified 15 international contractors for a tender to install a telemetry system to link up its production assets.

The deadline for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) has been set for 15 January 2012. The contract is expected to be awarded in the first quarter of that year.

The companies prequalified by KOC for the project are:

• Aker Solutions (Norway)
• Amec (US)
• Chiyoda (Japan)
• Consolidated Contractors Company (Athens-based)
• Daelim (South Korea)
• Foster Wheeler (US)
• GS Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
• Hyundai Heavy Industries (South Korea)
• JGC (Japan)
• KBR (US)
• Lurgi (Germany)
• Saipem (Italy)
• Samsung Engineering (South Korea)
• SNC Lavalin (Canada)
• Technip (France)

Australia’s WorleyParsons has been awarded front-end engineering and design (feed) and project management consultancy (PMC) contracts, and is also KOC’s consultant for the project.

The tender comes at a time when the KOC is trying rein in spending. The national oil company only signed $2.2bn-worth of contracts so far this year, compared to $3.5bn in the same period of 2010. The company only committed to $49.4m-worth of contracts in September. It awarded more than $650m in deals in January.