Expo 2020 Dubai will award 47 construction contracts worth US$3bn in 2017 as preparations for the first World Expo in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia continue to gather pace
A further 98 non-construction contracts totalling more than US$98mn will also be distributed before the end of the year. These will range from legal advisory services to event management and merchandising.
The construction contracts for 2017, which are open to local, regional and international businesses, include the third and final infrastructure package for the event?s support areas, including car parking.
Other key awards for the year ahead include the construction of the three Thematic Districts that will host the majority of the pavilions, as well as the public areas and the design, development and delivery of all temporary architecture and infrastructure required to stage the event.
The Expo 2020 Dubai eSourcing Portal includes details of upcoming tender opportunities, as well as announcing contracts already awarded. These will range from smaller contracts to larger, multibillion dirham opportunities.
The announcement shows that the Expo 2020 Dubai is on track to complete the majority of construction a full year ahead of the event opening in October 2020 and is delivering on its commitment to bring major opportunities to both local and global companies.
The procurement process, from initial registration on the portal to tender participation, has been based on three key principles: transparency, simplicity and inclusivity.
A meeting led by HH Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General, Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau, reviewed Expo procurement to date, and discussed tenders to be awarded in the months ahead.
The meeting was also attended by Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee members, Hussain Nasser Lootah, director general of Dubai Municipality, and Khalifa Al Zaffin, executive chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation (DACC), as well as members of the Expo 2020 Dubai Real Estate & Delivery and Procurement Departments.
In 2016, Expo 2020 Dubai awarded over 1,200 contracts, investing more than US$544.5mn in the economy.
Ahmed Al Khatib, vice-president of Real Estate & Delivery, Expo 2020 Dubai, said, ?While 2016 was an important year for design, 2017 is when the momentum of construction will really build, ahead of international participants beginning work on their pavilions in 2018.?
Early works on site are now complete, with more than 4.7 million cu/m of earth moved. The first infrastructure contract, covering the deep infrastructure of the non-gated Expo area, including the Expo Village, was awarded to Tristar Engineering and Construction in July 2016.
More than 12,000 suppliers and vendors from 121 countries are currently registered on the portal, of which 66 per cent are classified as SMEs.
