Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), in collaboration with Khalifa University, announced on Thursday the issue of Request for Qualification (RFQ) for the Khalifa University Student Accommodation PPP [Public-Private Partnership] Project.

ADIO has invited interested parties to submit a Statement of Qualification (SOQ) in relation to the project, according to the RFQ document posted on the organisation's website.

The project is being procured on availability-based Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contracting model with an operating period - excluding construction - of 20 years.

The SOQ submission deadline is 6 March 2023. Shortlisted bidders would be invited to participate in the next stage of the procurement and submit detailed proposals in response to a Request for Proposal (RFP), the document said.

The RFP release is scheduled for 23 March 2023 with a submission deadline of 10 August 2023. Selection of preferred bidder is scheduled for 8 November 2023.

The expressions of interest (EOI) notice for procuring 3,250-bed student accommodation and associated facilities split between Khalifa University’s SAN [Sas-Al-Nakhl campus] Campus and Main Campus was issued by ADIO last month.

According to the latest RFQ document, the project would be developed in two phases across two brownfield plots located within the existing SAN and Main Campus with 9 buildings of students' accommodation in SAN Campus and one building in Main Campus.

The Project Company will demolish select existing buildings and services and design, build, commission, finance, insure, and maintain the accommodation and upon expiry hand it back to the university.

Phase 1 (SAN Campus with 1,958 Beds and Main Campus with 700 Beds) has a services availability date of August 2026 while Phase 2, involving the construction of additional buildings 8 & 9 in SAN Campus with 592 additional beds, has services availability date of August 2027.

The maximum period for mobilisation, design, construction, and commissioning of the accommodation from financial close to the Services Availability Date is two years for Phase 1 and 3 years for Phase 2, the document said.

(Writing by Anoop Menon; Editing by Bhaskar Raj)(anoop.menon@lseg.com)