The Qatar Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has extended the submission date for the contract to design-and-build contract for its treated sewage effluent (TSE) distribution system.

The new submission date for bids is 27 July. The previous date was 8 June.

This is one of the last remaining construction packages of the $2.7bn ($741.6m) Inner Doha Resewerage Implementation Strategy (Idris) project, a deep-tunnel sewerage scheme to replace the current overloaded sewerage system and 35 pumping stations.

The package has been issued as an open tender, as works will take advantage of existing TSE pipelines. Less than the originally planned 70 kilometres of pipelines will be required.

In May, Ashghal signed three contracts worth QR3.2bn for the three main trunk sewer (MTS) projects.

A joint venture of French Bouygues Construction and local UrbaCon Trading and Contracting won two contracts for package one, the northern segments, and package three, the southern segment. They are worth QR965m and QR1.2bn respectively.

Idris SHP, a joint venture of German Hochtief and local/Austrian Al-Sraiya Strabag, won package two, the 14.7km central segment, worth QR1,066m.

The MTS project will be approximately 45km long, with internal diameters ranging from 3-4.5 metres, and depths ranging from 20-55 metres. Work is scheduled to start in mid-2015 and to be completed by the end of 2019.

Speaking at MEED’s Construction Leadership Summit in Dubai, Jalal Salhi, infrastructure affairs director, Ashghal, said the authority has set aside abudget of QR30bn for wastewater projects in the run up to hosting the World Cup in 2022. The budget was for projects that would be finished by the time the country hosts the event.

The QR30bn budget includes the Idris project.