Norway’s Stad ship tunnel put out to tender

The construction of Norway’s Stad ship tunnel has been put out to tender with its announcement as a design-build contract on Doffin, the Norwegian database for public procurement notices – the Norwegian database for public procurement notices.

The Stad ship tunnel, at 1.7km long (2.2km including entrance areas), has been under evaluation since the 1990s, receiving the green light in 2021 from the Norwegian Parliament, with the Norwegian Coastal Administration (Kystverket) tasked with its realization.

“Since we were assigned the task of building the Stad ship tunnel in the spring of 2021, we have worked diligently on preparatory efforts leading up to the tender announcement.

“A tunnel like this has never been built before, making the technical documentation quite demanding. Additionally, the planning processes, land acquisitions, reuse of stone masses, and efforts to reduce project risks and costs have been extensive and time-consuming.

“Reaching this milestone and putting the project out to tender is a significant achievement for us”, says Director General Einar Vik Arset.

“The Stad ship tunnel is a spectacular and partly challenging project, unmatched anywhere in the world today. We believe this will attract many contractors, potentially creating strong competition for the project,” says Harald Inge Johnsen, Project Manager for the Stad ship tunnel at the NCA.

The project now enters the prequalification phase to qualify contractors for the construction work. After this, three to five contractors will be invited to submit bids, which will be evaluated and negotiatde in several rounds before selecting the most qualified bidder.

The NCA will host a tender conference at Gardermoen on December 17^th.

“Design-build contractors should note that we will hold a tender conference at the Radisson Blu Hotel at Gardermoen on December 17^th. There, we will present the project and go through the key elements of the tender documents. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions,” says Johnsen.

The size of the tunnel’s openings will be the most significant challenge. “It will be as large as the tunnel chamber itself, standing 50m high and approximately 40m wide—about seven times higher than a standard road tunnel,” says Johnsen.

If everything proceeds as planned, the contract could be signed in the autumn of 2025, with construction starting in early 2026. This timeline depends on receiving bids within the project’s budget framework. The Norwegian Coastal Administration (Kystverket) has estimated the construction period to be just under five years.

The awarded contract will be based on NS 8407, a standard contract for design-build projects in Norway. This contract governs the rights and obligations between the client and the design-build contractor. The contractor must ensure that all work complies with applicable laws, regulations, and the contract’s requirements.

As the client, the NCA will closely monitor the contractor throughout the project to ensure all requirements and functionalities are met.

Kystverket has outlined the following tentative timeline for the tender process:

Photo: Kystverket/Multiconsult/Link Arkitektur