Dubai Municipality has invited firms to submit their statements of qualifications (SoQs) for the contracts to develop and operate various packages of the US$22 billion Dubai Strategic Sewerage Tunnels (DSST) project.

The project aims to convert Dubai’s existing sewerage system from a pumped system to a gravity system by decommissioning the existing pump stations. Dubai currently has two major sewerage catchments.

• Warsan in Deira, where the Warsan sewage treatment plant (STP) treats the flow.
• Jebel Ali in Bur Dubai, where the wastewater is treated at the Jebel Ali STP. 

Under the current plan, the DSST project is broken down into six packages, which will be tendered separately as PPP packages with concession periods lasting between 25 and 35 years.

1. The first package (J1) comprises Jebel Ali tunnels (North) and terminal pump stations (TPS). The tunnels will extend approximately 42 km, and the links will extend 10 km.
2. The second package (J2) covers the southern section of the Jebel Ali tunnels, which will extend 16 km and have a link stretching 46 km. 
3. The third package (J3) comprises 16 km of tunnels, TPS, and 46 km of links.
4. The fourth package comprises 129 km of links.

Once completed, Dubai Municipality will operate them, unlike the first three packages, which are planned to be operated and maintained by the winning PPP contractors. J1, J2, W, and J3 will comprise the deep sewerage tunnels, links, and TPS (DLT) components of the overall project. The project’s remaining two packages, the expansion and upgrade of the Jebel Ali and Warsan STPs will be procured in a process separate from the four DSST-DLT components. Dubai Municipality has appointed Abu Dhabi-headquartered Tribe Infrastructure Group as lead and financial adviser, UK-based Ashurst as legal adviser, and US-based Parsons as technical adviser for the DSST project.