The UAE’s Presidential Affairs Ministry has invited contractors to collect tender documents for the estimated AED6bn (1.6bn) contract to build a new presidential palace in the Ras al-Akhdar area of Abu Dhabi Island.

At least ten bidders have been prequalified for the contract, including the local Alec; the local/UK Al-Futtaim Carillion; Athens-based Consolidated Contractors Company; Turkey’s Nurol Group; South Korea’s Samsung Corporation; Oger Abu Dhabi, the local affiliate of Saudi Oger; and Saudi Binladin Group.

A number of joint venture bidders have also been invited to collect documents. They include the local/Australian Al-Habtoor Leighton Group with South Africa’s Murray & Roberts Contractors (Middle East); a joint venture of Brazil’s Odebrecht with the local/Lebanese Arabian Construction Company (ACC); and a joint venture of the local/Belgian Six Construct Abu Dhabi and the local Arabtec Construction.

The palace will be built between the existing presidential palace and the Emirates Palace Hotel. The existing palace is used by the federal government and hosts cabinet meetings and other federal government functions.

The local Dutch Foundation has already started work on the enabling works package for the new palace.

US-based RW Armstrong is the project manager. The architect is the local Ewan Architectural & Engineering Consultancy. The engineer is UK-based WSP and the cost consultant is Bahrain-based Haj Gulf.

Separately, Abu Dhabi’s Urban Planning Council is developing the Capital City district on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi city. This includes the Federal Precinct which will act as the new national seat of the UAE government.

The UPC plans to build the 49-square-kilometre city close to Khalifa City, between Abu Dhabi International airport and Mohammed bin Zayed City.

About 370,000 people will live in the district when it is completed.