The first construction tender for Bahrain megaproject Diyar Al Muharraq will be opened to bidders by the end of the year according to Diyar’s development director Daniel Chatley.
The tender will involve the construction of 500 affordable houses and associated infrastructure.
It was expected to be opened in September, but Chatley said they have been held up in the detailed design stage.
“We have value engineers working on the designs now to help make these houses as affordable as possible. By the end of the year it should at least be out to tender and sale,” he told Construction Week.
Construction on site is expected to start in February and finish by mid to late 2011. He said Diyar will most likely opt for a local contractor and a traditional method of construction.
“We’ve looked at alternative methods of construction which can be faster, but none of the companies are really set up in Bahrain yet,” he said.
“The other thing is that we are in no great hurry to finish the houses because the public utilities are not going to be connected to the site until mid-2011."
“It will be something we consider for the next phase, but local contractors are probably going to be the most sensible sector of the market to compete for this tender.”
Chatley said construction of primary infrastructure on the project will start in mid-2010 with rolling handover from mid-2011.
Meanwhile he said reclamation of the project’s 12km2 is progressing well ahead of schedule as the economic downturn has provided more resources to the site.
A Great Lakes Nass joint venture is carrying out the reclamation works. The first 6km2 is expected to be finished by March and the second 6km2 is 60% complete, he said.
Diyar Al Muharraq will be a city contained city off the northern coast of Bahrain with more than 30,000 dwellings and a population of more than 100,000.
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