Oman Environmental Services Holding Company (OESHC) has extended the deadline for bids for a hazardous waste management contract to October.

Bids were originally to be submitted by the end of July, but are now due by 18 October.

Local and international companies have been invited to participate. The winning bidder will manage the national hazardous waste management project on a build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) basis.

The tender was launched in January this year. Requests for qualification were submitted by 29 March.

Plan to privatise the handling of hazardous waste follows from Oman’s policy of introducing private companies into the management of its public services.  

The sultanate is in the process of tendering a management contract to cover the country’s water sector.

Plans to do the same with the country’s electricity transmission network were launched in 2008 before it was put on hold. This now looks set to be revived.