Saudi-led consortium wins $1.2 bln Bulgaria pipeline deal

Saudi Arabia's Arkad Engineering led consortium with Italy-based Arkad ABB, a joint venture between Swiss-based ABB, has won a $1.23 billion tender to build a pipeline that will carry Russian natural gas across Bulgaria.

The tender was awarded by Bulgarian network operator Bulgartransgaz to the Saudi-led consortium as they had offered the lowest bid, it said in a statement.

The scope of work includes the supply of necessary materials and equipment, investment design – detailed design phase, construction and commissioning of project.

“We have completed the public procurement for the selection of a contractor in an open procedure under the Public Procurement Act (PPA) entitled ‘Procurement of the Expansion of the gas transmission infrastructure of Bulgartransgaz EAD’ in parallel with the north (main) gas pipeline to the Bulgarian-Serbian border,” the statement read.

The proposal of the Saudi-led consortium includes the lowest prices for all activities from the subject matter of the procurement at a maximum allowable implementation deadline of activities of 250 days, and in case of implementation of all activities from the subject-matter of the procurement at a maximum allowable implementation deadline of activities of 615 days, it said.