The Communications Ministry is to restart the bidding process for work on the Gwadar port scheme, project sources say. Invitations to bid for the work are expected to be re-issued after the new government has finalised details of the project. The government is considering the possibility of restructuring the project by adding new tax incentives, the sources say. However, final decisions are expected to take until at least the end of April.

Five companies originally submitted bids for the contract for the civil works, estimated to be worth about $200 million. The same companies are likely to be invited to rebid for the work, the sources say. They are Turkey's STFA Tamel, Daewoo Corporation and Hyundai Corporation, both of South Korea, Italy's Grandi Lavori Finconsit and Iran Marine Industrial Corporation.

The work will include dredging a five-kilometre shipping channel, building three multi-purpose berths, quay walls, warehouses, container freight stations and offices, the installation of a standby power generation facility and desalination capacity. The first phase of the project will also include an equipment procurement contract, estimated to be worth about $80 million (MEED 20:12:96).