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Oman’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth is expected to award the design, procurement and construction contract for its Oman Cultural Complex (OCC) project, located in Muscat, Al Seeb by the second quarter of 2023.
The tender was issued on 12 September 2022.
“The technical bid submission was scheduled on 29 December 2022. The financial bid submission is due on 5 February 2023 and the contract is expected to be awarded by June 2023,” a source aware of the project details told Zawya Projects.
Twenty companies submitted technical bids, according to Oman Tender Board:
- Strabag Oman
- Al Tasnim Enterprises
- Larsen & Toubro Oman
- International Construction Development Company
- Al Adrak Trading and Contracting
- Saif Salim Essa al Harasi and Co
- Oman Shapoorji Company
- Douglas Oman Holding International
- Dawood Contracting
- Al Nahdha Al Omaniah Co
- HA Construction
- United Gulf Construction Company
- Services and Trade Company
- Galfar engineering and Contracting
- Abuhatim Co
- Modern Building Leaders
- Gharbia Enterprises Est
- Redco Construction Al Mana
- Al Ghanim International General Trading and Contracting Co
- Oasis Grace
The complex, with a build-up area of approximately 73,000 sqm, will be set in fully landscaped gardens with parking, water features and an open cultural plaza. It will include a dedicated cinema, an arts club with an exhibition gallery, a children’s library and food & beverage outlets, according to documents posted by the Board.
The four buildings framing the central square within the complex will include the National Theatre, which will comprise a 1,000-seat main auditorium and a 250-seat flexible auditorium; the National Library, which will be a 20,000 sqm five-storey building while the National Archives, partially open to the public, will include nearly 20 kilometres of archival shelf-displays.
The Oman Cultural Complex is unique as every building will stand alone yet - contextually be integrated all under “one knitting roof” by a Musharabiya canopy cover to create a unified urban entity, the first source said.
The project is slated for completion by the second quarter of 2026, the source said, adding that his estimate of the project cost is $150 million.
(Reporting by Senthil Palanisamy; Editing by Anoop Menon)
