SAUDI Aramco, the world’s biggest oil producer, has received bids from nine pre-selected groups to build 11 stadiums across the kingdom in a project worth $4.4 billion, said a report.

Aramco has been ordered by Saudi monarch King Abdullah to build these stadiums at Madinah, Eastern Province, Northern Border Province, Hail, Tabuk, Al Jouf, Baha, Najran, Jazan, Asir and Qassim. The estimated cost for each stadium is $400 million, reported the Saudi Gazette.

The selected groups are: Consolidated Contractors Company/Strabag (Austria); Saudi Binladin Group/Eiffage (France); Al-Muhaideb Trading and Contracting/Six Construct (Belgium); Nesma and Partners/Salini Impregilo (Italy); Nasser Al-Hajri/Vinci (France); Almabani/Huta/Bouygues (France); Azmeel Contracting/Samsung C&T (South Korea); Baytur (Turkey)/Clark Construction (US) and El-Seif Engineering & Contracting/Bam (Netherlands).

These stadiums, which will have a capacity of 45,000 spectators, will be built on the lines of the hi-tech King Abdullah Sports City located 50 km from Jeddah, the report stated.

The bidders have been asked to submit their unit rates for work as Aramco has fast-tracked the scheme and the final designs have yet to be completed, it added.

Meanwhile, Aramco has been given a site in Madinah covering an area of 2.7 million sq m to build a stadium, according to the Arab News.

The company will issue all the necessary documents for the architectural plans and complete the other requirements for the project, Khalid Abdulqadir, Mayor of Madinah, was quoted as saying by the newspaper.