Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for Al-Ula (RCU) has received the last and final offers from firms for the contract to build a staff accommodation facility at the Al-Ula development in Saudi Arabia.  Final proposals were submitted on 5 March and the package is expected to be awarded imminently. The central Al-Ula staff accommodation facility will have an area of 23,739 square metres (sq m). Tendering activity is also progressing on several other schemes at the Al-Ula development, including the infrastructure for the tramway. Earlier in March, the RCU asked firms to submit revised prices for a contract to build the infrastructure for a tramway at the development. The first phase of the tram scheme is a 22.4 kilometre line with 17 stations, operated by 20 trams. It will link Al-Ula International airport to five of the area’s historical regions. The tramway is scheduled to start operating in 2027. The scope of work includes the design and construction of a tram depot, tram tracks, technical buildings, station buildings and other associated infrastructure. New paradigm The tramway scheme could be one of several projects affected by Riyadh's reprioritisation of gigaproject activity. After four years of strong year-on-year growth in the Saudi construction sector up to 2023, when just under $32.1bn-worth of contracts were awarded, the growth slowed in 2024. This plateauing of growth in part reflects a pause in – and reprioritisation of – gigaproject activity. However, as gigaproject awards declined slightly, construction work on other projects helped to sustain contract awards activity overall. Another challenge is funding, with Public Investment Fund-led companies keen to find alternative means of financing projects. A greater emphasis on public-private partnership projects using private-sector funding is expected going forwards, as are requests for contractors to propose financing options. This is leading to more openness about project plans and improved transparency regarding issues and strategies, as the gigaprojects seek to attract foreign investment.   For registration as a supplier: https://www.rcu.gov.sa/en/business-in-alula/supplier-portal   (ICE RIYADH)

Fonte notizia: Meed