The city-owned construction firm Mosinzhproyekt appears to be the most likely winner of a record 573 billion ruble ($17.3 billion) construction contract from the Moscow Metro.
The call for bids, published Tuesday on the federal government's website for procuring contractors, is looking for a company to build over 100 kilometers of new metro lines.
The contract encompasses most of the planned construction work for the capital's underground rail system, a source close to the city said. The winner will be expected to conduct work ranging from design to actual construction, Vedomosti reported.
Several big engineering and construction firms are expected to compete for the job, with Mosinzhproyekt, Mosmetrostroi, Most and Stroigazconsulting among the possible contenders.
However, several key requirements in the contract make Mosinzhproyekt the most likely winner. One condition stipulates that the winning company's revenue for 2012 should not be less than 40 billion rubles, a figure only the city-owned company's 44.6 billion rubles can match.
City Hall plans a more than 1 trillion ruble expansion of the metro system and hopes to build 158 kilometers of new lines, 79 new stations and nine train depots by 2020.
A group of companies including Mosmetrostroi, Most and Stroigazconsulting are already building 54 kilometers of new lines for the metro for an estimated 350 billion rubles.
A Mosinzhproyekt spokesman confirmed that the company will make a bid for the contract, which will be awarded Monday.
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