A management contract to oversee construction projects for the 2022 World Cup tournament to be held in Qatar will be awarded in the first quarter of this year, a senior official said.

The contract, originally expected to be awarded late last year, will oversee coordination with government agencies on large infrastructure projects, including the construction of stadiums, on which the country plans to spend $4 billion.      

Qatar will build nine new stadiums and renovate three existing facilities. It has embarked on a massive domestic building programme in the run-up to the tournament. It plans to spend $11 billion on a new international airport, $5.5 billion on a deepwater seaport and $1 billion for a transport corridor in Doha. Qatar will spend $20 billion on roads.     

'It will be in the first quarter, definitely. (The programme manager) will ensure the infrastructure projects are delivered on time, and that there is a contingency plan in place in case of a delay,' said Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee Secretary General Hassan Al Thawadi.     

A construction industry source told Reuters in October that more than six companies were vying for the contract, including British construction consultants Arup, Mace and Turner International.     

Thawadi said in June that the country planned to complete construction of the first stadium by 2015.     

Qatar, where summer temperatures top 45 degrees Celsius, was the surprise winner of a December 2010 FIFA vote to choose the 2022 host country. It plans to build solar-powered, air-conditioned stadiums to overcome the sweltering summer heat. - Reuters