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BIGGIES WANTED FOR RAIL PROJECT

The DM is inviting only companies, which have already undertaken multibillion railway or transport projects to participate in the prestigious project. According to the official notification issued by the DM's Contracts and Purchasing Department, the magnitude of the high tech railway project demands construction and heaving engineering work to make long tunnels, spacious railway stations, railway depot facilities and electromechanical work including air conditioning, elevators and escalators. The project will also include relocation of some public utility services, the official notification says.

According to the announcement (No P/2/2004) tough selection criteria will be employed to short list contracting firms with special emphasis on their experience in executing major transport and infrastructure projects in the desert region. "Given the magnitude of the project, specific selection criteria will be applied with respect to their technical and financial capabilities to carry out the works," the announcement says.

It added that some special references about the companies' capabilities would be required. Companies applying for pre-qualification should have a minimum annual turnover of Dh4 billion with a minimum of Dh2 billion in similar project works, the Municipality said. Companies should also have experience in constructing tunnels of minimum 40 kms length, and 8.5 m diameter using tunnel boring machines during the previous ten years. "Interested contractors can collect RFQ terms from the contracts and purchasing department - counter no. (16) of the customer service centre of DM headquarters against a payment of Dh10, 000. It is open now," an official at the Dubai Municipality told City Times.

Such companies should also have experience in construction of bored tunnel under waterway and diaphragm walls of 40-50m in depth and more than 1m thickness and soil treatment, the DMC said. To be pre qualified, construction companies should have also undertaken a pre-stressed and pre-cast viaduct or a bridge during the last ten years. For electromechanical work, companies should have undertaken similar projects in the severe climatic conditions similar to Dubai.

The project consists of two transit lines of around 70 km, out of which 30 per cent is underground with two creek crossings. The remaining portions are elevated. The project implementation will be executed in stages. "Dubai Municipality envisages procuring this project on a turnkey basis in a single contract.

Applicants are required by the RFQ terms to demonstrate their ability to provide financing. Successful contractors will be eventually requested to set up Consortia with the already short listed Rail System Suppliers," the notification said. "Consortia will be required to arrange the financing for the whole Project implementation cost and later on this requirement shall be a mandatory pre-qualification criterion for the Consortia," it added. The official notification issued in the first week of May is open till June 1, 2004. Tender Documents are scheduled to be released by the beginning of August 2004. The announcement is complementary part to the pre-qualification documents, the Dubai Municipality said in a statement.

According to earlier reports, construction of the Dh 14.3 billion metro system will be done in two phases. The first phase, costing Dh8.5 billion is scheduled to be ready by 2009. Phase two is expected to be completed by 2013. It is anticipated that by 2017 nearly 1.2 million people will use the trains daily, with 17,000 passengers at peak hours. So the work on city transport network is geared to move fast as the Dubai Municipality and the entire government machinery in the UAE are moving as per schedule to complete the first multibillion railway project in the Gulf region.