Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran) has tendered consultancy contracts for the $1.3bn Port Sultan Qaboos Waterfront development project.

The four contracts all have a bid deadline of 11 July.

The first package, for the masterplanner and lead designer for phase one, involves a masterplan for the whole site including utilities and infrastructure. It also includes the marina, yacht club, waterfront, public spaces and facilities and ancillary buildings.

The second package covers architecture and design for zones 1,2,3 and 4 of phase one. It is thought to involve several hotels, including a five-star hotel, and a mall.

The third package is architecture and design for zones 5 and 6 covers a hotel and residential areas.

There is also a contract for a quantity surveying and cost consultant for the whole of phase one.

The first phase, due for completion in 2020 includes retail, leisure and entertainment areas, an aquarium, Matrah fisherman’s wharf, a fish souq, a five-star marina hotel with a yacht club and marina, a four-star family hotel, hotel-operated residential apartments and starter apartments.

Construction contract could be tendered as early as mid-2017.

The project will be implemented in three phases over 451,000 square metres.

Atkins carried out the original masterplanning for the project, on behalf of the original client, the Ministry of Transport & Communications (MOTC).

Omran is bringing in private investment for the project. The project company will be 51 per cent owned by Omran and 49 per cent by private investors including pension and investment funds and developers.

It will select international hotel operators for the seven planned three-, four- and five star hotels. Those interested include Dubai’s The Address (Emaar), Hong Kong’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, the US’ Hyatt, Viceroy Hotels & Resorts and Hilton Hotels & Resorts, India’s Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces, Singapore’s Banyan Tree Luxury Hotels & Resorts, Chedi, operated by Singapore’s General Hotel Management, and Canada’s Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts.