Saudi Aramco, the world's biggest oil producer, has received bids from nine pre-selected groups to build 11 stadiums across the kingdom in a project worth $4.4 billion, said a report.

Aramco has been ordered by Saudi monarch King Abdullah to build these stadiums at Madinah, Eastern Province, Northern Border Province, Hail, Tabuk, Al-Jouf, Baha, Najran, Jazan, Asir and Qassim. The estimated cost for each stadium is nearly $400 million, reported the Saudi Gazette.

The selected groups are: Consolidated Contractors Company/Strabag (Austria); Saudi Binladin Group/Eiffage (France); Al-Muhaideb Trading and Contracting/Six Construct (Belgium); Nesma and Partners/Salini Impregilo (Italy); Nasser Al-Hajri/Vinci (France); Almabani/Huta/Bouygues (France); Azmeel Contracting/Samsung C&T (South Korea); Baytur (Turkey)/Clark Construction (US) and El-Seif Engineering & Contracting/Bam (Netherlands).

These stadiums, which will have a capacity of 45,000 spectators, will be built on the lines of the hitech King Abdullah Sports City located 50 km from Jeddah, the report stated.

A pre-bid meeting was held with selected groups in Bahrain last week. The bidders have been asked to submit their unit rates for work as Aramco has fast-tracked the scheme and the final designs have yet to be completed, it added.