Omran signs RO 78m deal with Carillion for construction of OCEC

MUSCAT — Omran, the Government’s master developer, investor and hospitality asset manager, has officially awarded the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (OCEC) construction Package Two to Carillion Alawi during an on-site signing ceremony at the OCEC precinct. The agreement was signed on behalf of Omran by its Chairman, Nasser bin Khamis al Jashmi and Andy Jones, CEO of Carillion Alawi. On the occasion,  Al Jashmi said, “From the onset, Omran has put stringent, measured and technically and commercially comprehensive evaluation criteria to select contractors for its various developments across the Nation. This is in line with Omran’s mandate to develop projects that contribute to the national economy, local communities and the country’s burgeoning hospitality sector.”  Al Jashmi also elaborated that the award is a big step forward for the OCEC project, as Omran is now closer to inaugurating the iconic development that is set to transform the Sultanate’s tourism landscape.

Andy Jones, CEO of Carillion Alawi said, “Carillion Alawi offers in-depth local expertise in terms of project delivery, safety, quality, value engineering and innovation and we have been successfully delivering major projects across the Sultanate for more than 45 years. We believe that this experience has made Carillion Alawi uniquely qualified to undertake this strategic development and we look forward to working closely with Omran to see this package materialise in 20 months.” Package Two, worth RO 78 million, includes a structured car park facility for 4,200 vehicles on three parking levels, exhibition halls of approximately 22,000 sqm of leasable space, a concourse with a glazed curtain wall system, fully equipped with main production kitchen and three cafes, hospitality suites, administration areas, a central landscaped courtyard and two circulation nodes connecting the concourse to the car park.

Furthermore, the package also covers the ancillary buildings, namely the Energy Centre which serves as the District Cooling Plant for the entire precinct in addition to a security screening facility, taxi amenity building, waste management building, landscape maintenance building and electrical substation facility. According to a socio-economic impact assessment study conducted by Booz & Co, the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre brand, support promotion activities and promote tourism while providing various opportunities to SMEs in the areas of operations, services, retail, F&B and transport. On completion, the development is expected to attract 600,000 visitors per year, offer over 1,000 rooms, and provide 120,000 m2 retail- space.

Due for completion in late 2016, the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre is located in its own fully integrated precinct only four kilometres from Muscat International Airport. The Centre will feature two tiered auditoria to seat 3,200 and 450 while the exhibition halls will feature 22,000 square metres of column-free exhibition space. Halls 1 and 2 will have a superior fit out, specialised acoustic treatment, advanced lighting and rigging requirements to act as a multi-purpose space for plenary sessions, concerts, performances, gala events on a larger scale of up to 10,000 seated theatre-style.
(OEPPA Business Development Dept)