Oman’s Transport and Communications Ministry has received bids for four road projects worth a total of $326.7m.

The biggest project is for the first section of the works to upgrade the Sinaw-Duqm road. The local Premier International Projects submitted the lowest bid of OM38.4m ($99.5m). The local Ali & Company Trading & Contracting submitted the second lowest bid of OM38.5m, and the Oman Roads Engineering Company submitted the third lowest bid of OM38.6m.

For the contract to upgrade the fourth section of the Sinaw-Duqm road, the Transport and Communications Ministry received bids from 15 contractors. The local Wade Adams Oman submitted the low bid of OR25m. This was 11.7 per cent lower than the second lowest price of OM28.3m, submitted by Premier International Projects.

A total of 14 contractors submitted bids for the contract to build an asphalt road to Wadi al-Sahtan. The local Arabian Projects & Transport submitted the low bid of OM31.6m. The local National United Engineering Construction Company submitted the second lowest price of OR32m.

For the fourth project, the ministry received bids from 15 firms for the contract to build the Ubaylah-Fayyad road. National United Engineering Construction Company submitted the low bid of OM31m. This was marginally lower than the OM31.1m price entered by Ali & Company Trading & Contracting.

The ministry is also currently tendering the first two packages on the 265-kilometre Batinah expressway project.

Contractors now have until 12 September to submit bids for the first package on the expressway package. The first package will cover the construction of the 45km stretch from Naseem Garden to Suwaiq.  For the second package, the bid deadline has been extended to 26 September.  The second package will cover the road from Suwaiq to Shinas.

The expressway will extend from the current Muscat Expressway to Khatmat Malaha, located on the Oman/UAE border (MEED 18:8:11).