Prequalification invited for Guggenheim Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) has invited contractors to apply for prequalification tenders for the concrete works of Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum.

The concrete works will involve excavation, filling, waterproofing and construction of up to 120,000 cubic metres of reinforced concrete slabs, retaining walls, columns and beams.

Located on the Saadiyat Island, it approximately has 13,000 square metres of permanent and temporary exhibition space and is the largest museum in the Cultural District.

The piling work started in August and is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2011. The placement of the 1,400 piles is being carried out by the joint venture of Al Habtoor and HSSG.

Applicants must be a major registered construction company with representation in Abu Dhabi with a minimum annual company turnover of Dh700 million during the past three years. The applicant should also have successfully completed five projects in excess of Dh200m within the UAE during the past three years and demonstrate their recent record of successful delivery of relevant construction projects.

Contractors who meet the criteria can register their interest and request a pre-qualification document at guggenheimabudhabi@tdic.ae before October 17. The document should be collected before October 27.

Saadiyat Island Cultural District Project, which is scheduled for completion in 2013, also includes Louvre Abu Dhabi and Zayed National Museum.

The Frank Gehry designed Guggenheim Museum in Abu Dhabi will be the largest Guggenheim at 30,000 square metres and will be built at an estimated cost of $400m.