Hamad al-Bishri: The project is proceeding well according to the scheduled plan.
By Ayman Adly/Staff Reporter
Civil works of some of the 35 stations of the Doha Metro Project have been accomplished, a senior official of the Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail) said on Wednesday.
"Qatar Rail is also keen to maintain the concept of sustainability and environment friendly construction and all our contractors have four-star rating in this regard," deputy CEO Hamad al-Bishri explained.
He was addressing the first industry awareness day for Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) companies that was attended by almost 300 representatives from both local and international firms.
The open meeting was aimed at getting to know the capabilities of such companies to pre-qualify for Qatar rail projects as subcontractors for the main project contractors.
“We will continue holding such meetings with both local and international companies because we need great and continuous support from all potential qualified partners to accomplish our massive project,” affirmed al-Bishri.
He said the project has multiple phases and involved a myriad of works; architectural, civil, mechanical, electrical, excavation and others. However, the project is proceeding well according to the scheduled plan.
The meeting was also a good opportunity for local companies to meet their counterparts of international companies and study the possibility of forming consortiums or joint ventures. Simultaneously, Qatar Rail introduced these to both the technical and contractual requirements to be able to assume work at its project.
“There will be a link at our website for companies to upload their profiles, what they are and what they can offer and their capabilities. Then a special committee from both Qatar Rail and the Design and Billing Contractor will assess these companies and pre-qualify them for the project tenders,” said the Qatar Rail deputy CEO.
Project tenders for various related works will be offered in the first and third quarters of next year and they will be awarded in the fourth quarter for the fourth year.
The tunnel boring machines recently brought from Germany are now in the assembly phase in Doha and are expected to be operational soon. Further, all the deep excavation works are progressing well, according to Qatar Rail officials.
“The event was a good initiative to further boost the country’s economy and would reflect positively on local companies. For instance, they can introduce themselves to the global market and study possible business opportunities.”
