The Norwegian Coastal Administration plans to announce the tender for the Stad ship tunnel construction on December 1. Interested turnkey contractors will be invited to a dedicated tender conference at Gardermoen on December 17.

– The regulatory plans were completed at the end of October. We have also finalized land acquisition and other preparatory work. We are now working intensively on the final adjustments and quality assurance of the competition framework before we publish it on Doffin in the last weekend of November, says Harald Inge Johnsen, project manager for the Stad ship tunnel at the NCA.

He emphasizes that the tender announcement is a significant milestone for the project.

Anticipating considerable interest

The NCA expects considerable interest in building the world’s first ship tunnel. Previous engagement with the contractor market, including two supplier conferences, has shown that there is a great deal of enthusiasm for the project.

– Stad ship tunnel is a spectacular and somewhat challenging project, unique in the world today. We believe this will attract many contractors, which may lead to strong competition that can positively impact quality and price, says Johnsen.

More balanced competition framework

Johnsen notes that the NCA has made several changes to the competition framework since the previous market conference in 2023, including adjustments based on contractor feedback:

– Adjustments have been made to the risk profile, including the allocation of risk. The project owner now primarily follows the standardized responsibilities in accordance with NS-8407, and the project owner will conduct additional ground surveys and take on the quantity risk associated with some processes. This includes, for instance, that all rock support work in tunnel and surface areas will be settled based on adjustable unit prices. The same applies to injection work and water and frost protection work, Johnsen explains.

He points out that the entire competition framework is now designed to be more balanced and predictable for both the project owner and the contractor. Contractors can find additional details in the documents available on Doffin and at the tender conference on December 17 at Gardermoen.

Tender conference before Christmas

– We encourage contractors to note that we will be holding a tender conference at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Gardermoen on December 17. Here, we will present the project and review key elements in the competition framework, including contract structure and evaluation criteria. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions, says Johnsen, hoping many contractors will take the chance to learn more about the project, even with the holidays approaching.

The tunnel construction will be announced as a turnkey contract (NS-8407) with negotiations.

The NCA envisions the following tentative timeline for the tender phase:

If all goes according to plan, construction could start in early 2026. The NCA has estimated the construction period to be just under five years.

Within budget constraints

The proposal submitted by the chosen contractor must fall well within the total project budget of NOK 5.06 billion, as approved by the Norwegian Parliament. If proposals exceed the budget, a revised cost framework may need parliamentary approval.