The contractor said that the award had been delayed as it was still under negotiation with the client.

One of the contracts for the fence, which covers civil and electro-mechanical works is expected imminently (MEED 03:03:08). Two consortiums are in final negotiations with the client, the Ministry of the Interior, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: the local El-Seif Engineering & Contracting with the US' DRS Technologies, and the local Rashed al-Rashed & Sons Group with European Aeronautic Defence & Space Company.

In November 2007, 14 groups submitted bids for the estimated SR4bn ($1,07bn) contract to build a fence along the kingdom's border with Iraq.

The 900-kilometre-long security fence will comprise two lines of razor wire, with a second fence several kilometres behind it. There will be thermal-imaging equipment and ground surveillance radar between the two fences, which will be linked by a state-of-the-art fibre optic communications system (MEED 16:11:07).