The scheme involves construction of a dining facility, offices, civil engineering centre, transportation maintenance facility, fitness centre, chapel, medical clinic, fire department, post office, 10 dormitories with associated utilities, base roads and parking.

A provisional date for the issue of request for proposal (RFP) documents for the fixed-price contract is 16 June, while a tentative date for bid submissions is 30 July. A pre-proposal site visit is scheduled for 2 July.

US construction and international firms are eligible to bid for the contract. However, firms that do not qualify as US contractors will be evaluated by adding 20 per cent to the price proposal. Joint ventures with a US firm will be evaluated as a US firm.

The Al-Dhafra airbase is already undergoing a major expansion, in preparation for the phased delivery of 80 F-16 fighter aircraft ordered by the UAE Armed Forces. The Directorate of Military Works has recently awarded contracts, totalling about $100 million, for the upgrade of utilities and the expansion of taxiways, runways and aprons.

The US' Stanley Consultantsis the consultant for the UAE-funded project (MEED 11:4:03).

Following the US' decision in late April to withdraw all its forces from Saudi Arabia, USACE has issued inquiries for major project work at the Al-Udeid airforce base in Qatar and the main US navy base in Bahrain (MEED 16:5:03; 9:5:03).