The Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) has prequalified companies for the contract to build its estimated $200m new headquarters building in Kuwait City.

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 client has prequalified three local contractors and five joint ventures, each made up of an international company and a local partner, to participate in the tender.

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 Abdulmoshin 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)
• Syed Hamid Behbani & Sons (local)
• Tasyapi Insaat Sanayi ve Ticaret (Turkey)/Al-Ahlia Contracting Group (local)

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).

The project is the latest of a number of government contracts that have been tendered in recent months.

In December, the local United Construction Company has been awarded a KD20.4m ($72.6m) contract to build the new headquarters complex for the Public Authority for Minor Affairs in Kuwait City.

United Construction will build and maintain the headquarters building and car parking facilities for the Public Authority for Minor Affairs. The contractor was the low bidder for the project and saw off competition from 11 other companies to win the construction deal.