ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority(CDA) on Tuesday opened financial bids for the construction of the New Islamabad Convention, Exhibition and Expo Centre (NICEEC) and the lowest bid turned out to be a whopping Rs37 billion.

The original PC-I was worth Rs16 billion as the project was initially designed on RCC structure. However, in the revised design, changes were made and steel fabrication was added with doomed-roof to be made of steel.

Therefore, CDA received the Rs37 billion bid by China Construction Third Engineering Bureau-led JV. There were only two JVs, both headed by Chinese companies, in the race.

Sources said that the CDA management has decided before moving forward to go for a third party bid evaluation.

“In PC-I everything was calculated, if area was increased or decreased, or new items are added like steel structure, during bid evaluation everything can be cleared,” said an official and added that after reasonability of the quoted lowest bid, CDA will move forward.

“Suppose if the consultant and third party evaluator approve these rates, then CDA likely go for revision in original PC-I.”

NICEEC is being planned ahead of the next year’s Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Islamabad. According to a CDA document, “the flagship facility will serve as a world-class multi-functional venue for conventions, exhibitions, expos, trade fairs and cultural events, and will also host the SCO summit in 2027.”

The new convention centre will be built near the Bhara Kahu Bypass in the Malpur area, about three kilometres from the existing Jinnah Convention Centre.

According to the original PC-I, the total cost of the project was estimated at Rs19.3 billion, including contingency, consultancy, utility and landscaping costs. Sources said the main project cost was estimated Rs16 billion, with a covered area of 270,000 square feet and a 60-foot-high main hall, to be completed in 18 months. They said the CDA is targeting completion of the project’s main components within one year for hosting SCO. The remaining components such as expo centre could be completed in a few months after the SCO summit

The sources said that in the revised design, changes were made and the height of the main hall was increased from 60 feet to 85 feet.

The project will be executed under the supervision of recently appointed member building.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2026