TSC says the technical evaluation of the proposals to provide supervision services on the estimated $44 million eastern main trunk line has been concluded with World Bank approval. The next step will be the opening of financial envelopes, scheduled to take place in December.

The bidders are: Austria's ILF Consulting Engineers, with the local Parsconsult; the UK's Halcrow Group, with an unidentified local firm; the UK's Maunsell Consultancy Services, with an unidentified local firm; and the UK's Montgomery Watson, with the local Tooss Ab Consulting Engineers.

The tender for the construction of the trunk line is expected to be released following the World Bank's approval of tender documents prepared by TSC. At least 15 local and international contractors were prequalified by TSC earlier this year to bid on the eastern trunk line project, which covers the construction of an 18-kilometre tunnel with diameters in the range of 2,000-3,000 millimetres, and the laying of concrete pipes.

An award is imminent on the estimated $60 million-70 million, design-build-operate contract for the wastewater treatment plant to serve the network. The World Bank is reviewing the evaluation report drawn up by TSC following the submission of bids in mid-July by Austria's VA Tech, Generale des Eaux and Degremont, both of France, and Germany's Walter Bau. A decision on the winning proposal is expected in December.

TSC says it is preparing to issue two international tenders in the first quarter of 2003 for the procurement of equipment related to the wastewater network. Companies will be invited to bid for the supply of water jets used to clean the sewerage network and close-

circuit television cameras for supervision purposes.

A team of ILF, Kuwait-based KEO International Consultants and Parsconsult is providing consultancy services and technical assistance to TSC.

The first phase of the Tehran wastewater scheme will see the construction of a treatment plant with capacity of 450,000 cubic metres a day, aimed at serving a population of 2.1 million by 2006. During phase 2, which will be implemented between 2006 and 2011, capacity will be doubled to cover 4.2 million people. Phases 3-5 of the wastewater scheme will see the expansion of the network and the construction of an additional plant in southwest Tehran to serve a population of 10.5 million by 2029.

The phase 1 costs of the scheme are estimated at about $340 million, $145 million of which will be covered by the World Bank. Despite US pressure, the bank in May 2000 agreed to resume lending to Iran after a gap of seven years. TSC is providing parallel financing of $195 million.