State upstream operator Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) will award the contract for its north Kuwait water centre project before the end of August, according to sources close to the project.

South Korea’s GS Engineering & Construction (GS E&C), which is partnered with Kuwait’s Al-Kazemi International, is low bidder on the project with a price of KD92.4m ($305.9m).

The budget for the project was KD99.96m.

The scheme is part of a larger restructuring of the country’s water network.

Five companies were expected to bid on the project, but only three submitted prices.

The list of bidders is:

• GS E&C, KD92.4m
• China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation (China), KD95.1m
• Daelim (South Korea), KD104.7m
• Petrofac (UK-based), no price submitted
• Daewoo (South Korea), no price submitted