Local and international contractors and suppliers, including firms such as Athens-based Consolidated Contractors International Company (CCC), Italy's Saipem, the German office of Paris-based Technipand Turkey's Tekfen, are understood to be seeking prequalification on the project. Bidders will be given three months until the end of January to prepare their proposals. Once prequalified, companies are expected to form consortia to bid either for the whole project, including pipeline sections, pumping stations and water storage tanks, or for various packages, which are:

Package 1 - covering the supply of pipes for an 80-kilometre-long, 60-inch-diameter line running from Shouaiba to Jeddah, and the supply of pipes for a 43-kilometre-long, 44-inch-diameter water line between Mecca and Taif;

Package 2 - covering the supply of pipes for a 112-kilometre-long, 80-inch-diameter pipeline between Shouaiba and the Quaiza pipeline system in the Jeddah area;

Package 3 - covering the supply of pipes for a 109-kilometre-long, 76-inch-diameter link between Shouaiba and Mina;

Package 4 - covering the construction of the Shouaiba-Jeddah and Shouaiba-Quaiza pipelines;

Package 5, the largest construction package - covering the installation of the Shouaiba-Mina and Mecca-Taif pipelines and numerous other works. These include the extension of the Shouaiba-Jeddah pumping station, a new combined pumping station for the Shouaiba-Quaiza and the Shouaiba-Mina pipelines, and two new pumping stations for the Mecca-Taif pipelines. Additional works cover the construction of three 140,000-cubic-metre steel storage tanks at the combined pumping station, the extension and modification of the existing Quaiza reservoir station, including a 90,000-cubic-metre steel storage tank, and a new inlet station at the existing Mina reservoir. Another extension is due to be carried out at the Taif terminal along with the construction of a 140,000-cubic-metre steel storage tank. Other works cover three line valve stations and a complete supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and communication system for all pipeline systems.

Financing for the scheme will be provided by SWCC. Austria's ILF Consulting Engineersis the consultant. SWCC has plans for more water conveyors, including two in the Eastern Province.