Dh11.36b Expo deals up for grabs

Early works on the Expo site are now complete, with more than 4.7 million cubic metres of earth moved.

Expo 2020 Dubai said on Monday it would award 47 construction contracts worth Dh11 billion this year, a long-awaited move that is expected to give the UAE economy a much needed growth momentum after a prolonged lull caused by lower oil revenues.
Expo 2020 Dubai said it would also award 98 non-construction contracts worth Dh360 million in 2017 as preparations for the first world expo in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia continued to gather pace.
The global trade fair is expected to accelerate Dubai's growth to more than five per cent by 2020, according to estimates by the International Monetary Fund.
The new contracts to be given this year will be in addition to more than 1,200 deals worth over Dh2 billion already awarded, Expo organisers said.
The non-construction contracts range from legal advisory services to event management and merchandising.
Open to both local and foreign companies, the contracts are part of the third and final infrastructure package for the event's support areas, including car parking, Dubai Expo 2020 said in a statement.
Other major awards in 2017 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.
Expo 2020 Dubai said it 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.
Tenders to be awarded
Reem Ibrahim Al Hashimi, 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.
"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," Al Hashimi said.
"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," she said.
Al Hashimi said the non-construction contracts to be procured this year would allow Expo 2020 Dubai 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.
The procurement process, from initial registration on the portal to tender participation, has been based on three key principles: transparency, simplicity and inclusivity. 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.
2017 is important
Ahmed Al Khatib, vice-president of Real Estate and 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.
"These important contracts will help us meet our target of completing the majority of construction with a year to go before Expo 2020 Dubai opens its doors in October 2020, providing the opportunity for all-important readiness testing," said Al Khatib.
Contracts awarded last year included the appointment of an Orascom-Besix joint venture to develop the deep infrastructure at the Expo site in Dubai South. Once complete, the site will cover 4.38 square kilometres and host up to 300,000 people a day between October 2020 and April 2021.
This work includes irrigation and sewerage, pipes and cabling, roads, electrical and water, and telecommunications ducting.
Early works on the Expo site are now complete, with more than 4.7 million cubic metres 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.
Organisers said since the launch of the Expo 2020 Dubai eSourcing Portal in September 2015, it has undergone a number of modifications to allow small and medium-sized enterprises to tender more competitively and optimise their integration into the Expo supply chain. 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.
Expo 2020 Dubai said last year that 20 per cent of the Expo's total direct and indirect spends would be allocated to SMEs and to date, 43 per cent of all contracts have been awarded to them.
- issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com