Drake wins UAE MEP contract

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Drake wins UAE MEP contract

UAE contractor, Drake and Scull, reported that its engineering unit has won a Dh334 million ($90.94 million) deal for mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) works on a hotel being built on the Palm Jumeirah.

As part of the agreement, Drake & Scull Engineering (DSE) will complete the supply, installation, testing, commissioning and handover of detailed MEP works for the leading hotel.

The upscale project located on the man-made island consists of three separate seven-storey buildings constructed over a common basement and will include a 360-room five star hotel and two residential buildings, said the company in a statement.

The scope of work extends to the pools and associated landscaping and will be completed by 2016, it added.

On the contract win, Khaldoun Tabari, the CEO and vice-chairman, said: “We are pleased to start our second quarter with a significant project award for DSE. We achieved nearly Dh5.9 billion ($1.6 billion) in project awards last year across Mena, Europe and Asia and are happy to maintain our streak of winning major projects in our key markets.”

“The project award is a noteworthy addition to our projects’ backlog which grew by 20 per cent in 2014 and touched an all-time high figure of Dh14.4 billion ($3.9 billion),” he stated.

The UAE real estate, said Tabari, is viewed as a barometer for the state of the region’s construction sector and “we are pleased to note the resilience shown by the real estate industry and the determination of the UAE’s government to sustain the investment into critical infrastructure that is required to meet the needs of the growing population, as well as the upcoming Expo 2020.”

“The engineering business continues to be one of the main drivers of Drake and Scull’s growth and we look forward to announcing more project wins in our key markets and delivering improved results in FY 2015,” he added.

Ahmad Al Naser, the managing director of DSE, said: “This is an important win for us as it is a very prestigious and iconic addition to the world famous Palm Jumeirah landscape. The project win adds to our strong track record in the Mena hospitality business and especially in the UAE where we’ve delivered prestigious landmarks like the Rosewood Hotel, Centro Capital Centre, Park Rotana, Aloft hotel in Adnec, Shangri-La Between the Bridges and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel previously.”

“Our tremendous experience gained by delivering more than 4,000 hotel rooms and suites in the region in the last four decades will prove crucial for the successful delivery of the project,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service.

Source: Trade Arabia

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