Kuwait to fast-track road repair contracts for early next year

• The Central Agency for Public Tenders has postponed awarding major road maintenance contracts until a negotiation session with the bidders is scheduled.

As the Ministry of Public Works seeks regulatory approval for major road maintenance projects, informed sources told Al-Rai newspaper that contracts are expected to be signed by the end of the year. Maintenance work is set to begin early next year, turning the roads into a kind of ‘open workshop.’

In this context, the Board of Directors of the Central Agency for Public Tenders has decided to postpone the decision on awarding major road maintenance contracts for governorates and highways until a negotiation session is scheduled with the owners of the accepted bids for the eighteen contracts.

The sources stated, “The negotiation session requested by the agency will focus on the prices offered by the bid owners, with the aim of reducing the cost of the implementation work.”

Sources explained that “after obtaining approval from the Central Agency for Public Tenders, the Audit Bureau will be contacted to approve the recommendation to award the contract to the winning bidders. This will prepare for signing the maintenance contracts with the companies and starting the road work.”

They added that Dr. Noura Al-Mashaan, the Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs, is keen to expedite the approval process from regulatory authorities for major road maintenance projects. It is expected that the contracts will be signed before the end of this year, allowing extensive work to commence at the beginning of next year.