A consortium of the UAE’s Drake & Scull International, Athens-based Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) and the local International Centre for Construction (ICC) submitted the low bid for the project to expand the King Fahad Medical City in Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia’s Health Ministry received bids from seven contractors/joint ventures on the 18 June for the main construction package on the medical project.

The consortium’s low bid of SR1.37bn ($365m) saw off competition from the six other contractors/joint ventures that submitted bids. The local Nesma & Partners Contracting was the second lowest bidder with a price of SR1.43bn, and was followed by the local Saudi Binladin Group and the local ABV Rock, which submitted bids of SR1.46bn and SR1.49bn respectively.

The King Fahad Medical City complex is one of the largest healthcare facilities in the kingdom, with a current capacity of 1,400 beds. The city was constructed between 1984 and 1995, and is located in the Sulaimaniyah area of Riyadh. The medical complex currently treats more than 50,000 inpatients and more than 600,000 outpatients annually.

The King Fahad Medical City is one of five medical cities planned to be built or expanded by the Health Ministry in Saudi Arabia.

In March, Vanir and US-based Hill International submitted bids for the project management contracts for 12 other healthcare projects planned in Saudi Arabia. The first contract is for the project management of two medical cities, one planned for the northern region of the kingdom, with the other planned for the southern region. The second deal is project management of 10 new hospital projects, which will be constructed at various locations in the kingdom