Saudi Arabia’s Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA) is seeking firms to project manage the operations and maintenance (O&M) contract for the under-construction Riyadh Metro.

At least three firms are understood to have expressed an interest and could be preparing an offer for the project management consultancy (PMC) deal. They include France’s Transdev, Germany’s Deutsche Bahn International and the US’ AT Kearney, a source familiar with the transaction told MEED.

ADA released the tender for the Riyadh Metro O&M contract in April and expects to receive offers by mid-October.

At least seven firms were prequalified for the deal. They are:

• Ansaldo / Hitachi (Italy/Japan)
• Keolis (France)
• Korail (South Korea)
• QDVC (Qatar)
• RATP (France)
• Serco (UK)
• SMRT (Singapore)

It is likely the ADA will select two to three O&M firms to operate and maintain the six metro lines, MEED has been told.

The O&M contract is expected to be awarded in 2017, Alwalid Alekrish, director of construction development projects at ADA and project director of the Riyadh Metro, said in March.

Alekrish also confirmed that the $23bn scheme is on track to be completed in 2019, stating that “the metro is being paid for directly from ring-fenced government funds and as such there is no specific debt or borrowings”.