The government has opened bids for consultancy services to prepare the master plan for Rasmale', the large-scale land reclamation project intended to support future housing development in the Greater Male' Region.

The Ministry of Construction, Housing and Infrastructure announced today that interested parties can now submit proposals for the consultancy contract.

According to the ministry, there will be no pre-bid meeting. Prospective bidders seeking clarification on the tender documents must submit their queries by email to procurement@infrastructure.gov.mv before 2:00 pm on Sunday.

Bids must be prepared in accordance with the terms of reference issued with the tender notice and submitted to the ministry by 10:00 am on 13 July.

The tender is open to companies registered under the Companies Act, cooperatives registered under the Cooperative Societies Act and sole proprietors registered under the relevant legislation governing private enterprises.

Bids must be submitted in MVR and accompanied by a bid security of MVR 250,000. The government said the bid security would be forfeited if the successful bidder withdraws from the contract.

For contracts valued at more than MVR 500,000, the successful bidder will also be required to provide a performance guarantee issued by a recognized bank.

Businesses operating for less than one year must submit a bank statement showing a minimum balance of MVR 100,000. Other bidders are required to provide audited financial statements covering the previous three years.

The government had previously announced plans in December to procure consultancy services for a transport master plan for Rasmale' as part of the broader development of the reclaimed island.

According to figures released by Housing Development Corporation (HDC), around 43 percent of the planned 1,150 hectares of land at Rasmale' has been reclaimed.

The project forms part of the government's "Housing for All" programme, under which 15,000 residential plots are planned to be allocated in the first phase.