Qatar’s construction market promises to be the “most robust” in the GCC in 2016, as it continues to award major contracts for the construction of new infrastructure to be used for FIFA 2022 World Cup, a new report has shown.

Qatar’s World Cup preparations are entering a new phase, with some contracts already awarded for the construction of the planned facilities, such as the Al-Bayt stadium in Al Khor and the upgrade of the existing Khalifa Stadium, which will increase its seating capacity to 60,000, business intelligence firm Meed has said in a report.

Another stadium is up for bid in the Education City. Lusail Stadium, the largest of the stadiums that will be built, is in its early stages.

Meanwhile, the major contracts for Doha’s metro network and the expressway programme are also progressing. Another huge project that will be tendered soon is the regional rail network that will link Doha and other centres in Qatar to the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) rail network at the Saudi Arabia border.

Project client Qatar Rail prequalified some 15 consortiums in late July to bid for the design-and-build contract. The tender is expected to be released between the last quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2016.

The construction sector remains “one of the brightest spots” for the GCC countries. Although lower oil prices may continue to be a challenge, ongoing projects will have enough impact to stimulate economic growth and help alleviate the concerns of the industry by replenishing diminishing order books.

This could only mean that the list of completed schemes will continue to grow, and thousands of teams will play their part to ensure major schemes are completed to the highest quality. To ensure such stringent quality standards are maintained, the Meed Quality Awards for Projects, in association with Mashreq has launched its latest search for the Gulf’s highest quality projects.

Two of Qatar’s flagship projects have won the coveted 'Meed Quality Project of the Year', the only country to have achieved the feat in the six-year history of the awards programme. The Pearl GTL Project received the distinction in 2012, with Qatar Foundation’s Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies Project replicating the achievement last year.

“The GCC is home to some of the world’s most impressive and unique buildings, and Meed's awards programme is designed to recognise the highest quality developments leading the projects market in Qatar, and the rest of the region. It has distinguished itself as the premier recognition programme in the projects market because it evaluates the outcome of the construction process, rather than the process itself. Meed is proud to have created an independent judging process, with the help of the Societies of Engineers across the GCC,” said Richard Thompson, Meed editorial director.