Tunisia’s Ministry of Equipment, Housing and Land Management has issued a tender to build around 4,650 social housing units.

The project is part-funded by the Saudi Development Fund (SDF).

Developers from Tunisia and Saudi Arabia, and consortiums including Tunisian and Saudi members are invited to bid. The deadline is 23 November.

The work involves building 14 apartment buildings consisting of around 3,265 units and roughly 1,384 individual houses across 10 plots. There are 21 plots spread across 11 areas in Manouba, Ariana, Ben Arous near the capital, as well as Zaghouan, Sousse, Kairouan, Nabeul, Siliana, el-Kef and Jendouba.

In 2013, the SDF agreed to lend Tunisia $150m to co-finance the construction 20,000 social housing units. The soft loan has a twenty-year tenor.

The SDF has financed $371m of development projects in Tunisia since 2011.

The scheme intends to replace informal housing in Tunisia with new or improved housing, of under 50 square metres per unit in the first phase. The second phase involves building apartment blocks across the 14 areas.

A tender earlier in 2015 for 2620 units, as well as technical and supervisory consultants, was declared unsuccessful.

The Tunisian Secretary of State for Housing, Anis Ghdira, told local press that the ministry had taken measures to allow private developers to participate in the scheme.

As well as planning and housing reforms, Tunisia is preparing a new public-private partnership law. It was passed by a parliamentary commision, and will be put to a vote soon.