The award of construction contracts for the $274m Central Library and the $327m Northgate Mall projects in Doha show that, after a slow start to 2011, Qatar’s construction sector is stirring to life.

With much of Qatar’s development plans focusing on the impending World Cup infrastructure programme, the two recent contract awards show that both the state and private sector are also moving ahead with projects.

Recent MEED analysis showed that Qatar’s construction market in 2011 has slowed down considerably in terms of contract awards, but contractors will be hoping that the two post-Ramadan contract awards are the start of a busy end to the year.

While the award of contracts is always positive for any construction market, it is clear that there is still a great need for Doha to streamline its convoluted and slow tender processes.

It took more than a year for the public client to award the contract on the Central Library scheme, after contractors submitted tenders in August 2010.

This is not an uncommon experience in Qatar’s construction market, with contractors often having to wait months and even years for news of tenders submitted.

 With more than $60bn-worth of construction projects planned before the 2022 World Cup, it is imperative that Qatar is are able to plan, tender and award contracts within scheduled timelines. To achieve this, public and private clients will need to work closely with contractors and banks to facilitate an efficient process for tendering and awarding projects.