Oman’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning (MoHUP) is expected to award the tender for Consultancy Services Contract for Detailed Engineering Design for The New Smart City in Salalah in the third quarter of 2026, a source aware of the details said.

The tender was issued on 12 October 2025, with bid submissions closing on 24 February 2026.

“The contract award is expected in July 2026,” the source said, adding that completion is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2030.

The planned New Smart City in Salalah is envisioned as an integrated coastal urban development incorporating smart systems and intelligent mobility infrastructure; pedestrian-friendly streets; public parks, beaches and waterfront promenades; hospitality destinations and Integrated Tourism Complexes (ITCs) and climate-resilient urban design, according to the tender documents.

The project will also be connected to Greater Salalah through Highway 49 and the secondary road network while protecting adjacent ecologically sensitive khors.

Financial bids

UAE’s Scientific Ink Engineering Consultants submitted the lowest bid at approximately 1.48 million Omani rials ($3.85 million). Most bids clustered between approximately OMR 3 million and OMR 3.7 million ($7.8 million to $9.6 million).

The financial bids submitted include:

·DAR SSH International Engineering Consultants — OMR 3.37 million ($8.77 million)

·CID Gulf — OMR 2.94 million (Alternate 1) - ($7.66 million) and OMR 3.33 million ($8.67 million)

·Scientific Ink Engineering Consultants — OMR 1.48 million ($3.85 million).  

·National Engineering Office — OMR 2.03 million $5.28 million

·Muscat Engineering Consulting — OMR 12.99 million $33.79 million

·Tusker Engineering Consultancy Group — OMR 8.10 million $21.05 million

·Khatib and Alami — OMR 3.69 million $9.60 million

·Renardet SA & Partners — OMR 3.60 million $9.36 million

·AZD Engineering Consultancy — OMR 3.08 million $8.00 million

·FM Middle East Engineering Consultancy — OMR 3.05 million $7.94 million

·WSP International — OMR 5.68 million $14.77 million

·Almanarah Engineering Consultancy — OMR 5.47 million $14.23 million

·Dar Al Handasah — OMR 3.32 million $8.64 million

·Al Abraj Consulting Engineer and Architects — OMR 1.88 million $4.89 million

A total of 26 companies had purchased the tender documents.

The smart city project will be located in the center of Salalah city, east of Al-Dahareez area over an area of 10,04 million square metres (sqm), according to the Ministry’s website. It is expected to include around 12,000 residential units, with a population density of up to 60,000 people and feature 2.5 million sqm of open and green spaces. The project is targeted at citizens, gulf investors, and foreign investors. 

(Reporting by Deva Palanisamy; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)

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