Oman’s Transport and Communication Ministry has invited companies to submit bids for the contract to provide consultancy services on the Nizwa to Thumrait road project.

Companies have until 7 February 2011 to submit bids for the project. The winning firm will design and supervise the project to turn into a dual carriageway the Adam to Thumrait section of the Nizwa to Thumrait road.

In May, the ministry awarded three contracts totalling OR64.1m ($166m) for construction works on the Nizwa to Thumrait road. The ministry split the fourth phase of the rehabilitation works on the road into three separate packages.

Larsen & Toubro of India won the first package with a bid of OR8.1m, the local Nasr Arabian Company won the second package with a bid of OR24m, and the local Oman Gulf Company was awarded the last package with a price of OR31.9m.

For the first package, Larsen & Toubro will carry out rehabilitation work on 30 kilometres of road and bridges. The contract duration is one year.

The second package with Nasr Arabian is for general road improvements and building a new junction at Muntasar. It is expected to take two and a half years to complete.

Oman Gulf Company is also scheduled to take two and a half years to complete the third package, which involves building seven new junctions together with general rehabilitation works.

The projects are part of a broader scheme to convert the road from Nizwa, in the northeast of Oman, to Thumrait, in the southern area of the sultanate, into a dual carriageway (MEED 10:5:10).