The team responsible for the delivery of Expo 2020 Dubai has revealed plans to award 47 construction contracts, worth a total of $3bn (AED11bn), in 2017.
A further 98 non-construction contracts, totalling $98m (AED360m), will also be awarded before the end of the year.
Contracts awarded this year, which are open to local, regional and international businesses, include the third and final infrastructure package for the event’s support areas.
Other key contracts for 2017 will include the construction of three thematic districts which, in addition to hosting the majority of the event’s pavilions, will accommodate public areas and the design, development, and delivery of all temporary architecture and infrastructure required for the World’s Fair.
Commenting on the news, HE Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and director general of the Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau, said: “We are committed to working with leading businesses from across the world in order to deliver an exceptional event of this scale, on time and on budget.
“This is particularly true when it comes to the development of the physical site, which will live on long beyond 2021 to become an anchor for the UAE’s developing knowledge economy in Dubai South.
“But just as importantly, the non-construction contracts to be procured this year will allow us to spread the investment made in the Expo as far as possible and enable local, regional, and international businesses of all sizes to be part of what will be the most inclusive and international event in Expo history,” she added.
The announcement follows the news that 1,200 contracts related to Expo 2020, worth more than $544m (AED2bn), were awarded in 2016. The 2017 procurement schedule demonstrates that Expo 2020 is on track to complete the majority of construction a full year ahead of the event’s inauguration in October 2020, according to the delivery team.
The Expo 2020 Dubai eSourcing Portal features details of upcoming tender opportunities, as well as previously awarded contracts.
In a meeting led by Minister Al Hashimy, high-ranking officials reviewed the event’s procurement to date, and discussed tenders to be awarded during the coming months. Other attendees included HE Eng Hussain Nasser Lootah, director general of Dubai Municipality; HE Khalifa Al Zaffin, executive chairman of Dubai Aviation CityCorporation (DACC); and members of Expo 2020 Dubai’s real estate and delivery, and procurement departments.
Credit: constructionweekonline.com
