The insurer will issue tender documents for the contract in November, and it expects construction to begin on the building’s superstructure by the end of the year.

The project, located opposite the Sheraton hotel on Doha corniche, involves the construction of a 50-storey tower with four basement levels of parking and a total built-up area of 140,000 square metres.

The contract was first tendered in 2007, but all bids exceeded the client’s budget (MEED 9:7:09).

The client then appointed Australia’s Multiplex to provide pre-construction services, and the two groups were in negotiations for the main construction contract but those talks have now ended.

Bahrain-based Projacs International is the project manager. The design consultant is the local MZ & Partners.

Qatar National Bank (QNB) is tendering for another much larger tower on Doha Corniche. Contractors are preparing to submit bids on 25 October for the contract to build the bank’s 101-floor, 510-metre-tall headquarters building on the Doha Corniche. The tower will be the tallest in Qatar.

The prequalifiers include Lebanon’s Qatari Arabian Construction Company (ACC); the Australian/UAE Al-Habtoor Leighton Group; a joint venture of the local Midmac Contracting Company and Belgium’s Six Construct; Australia’s Multiplex; and South Korea’s Samsung Corporation.

The consultancy team includes Doha-based KEO International Consultants as the project manager and Australia’s Peddle Thorp Architects (MEED 23:9:09).