CH2M Hill wins £5bn Qatar World Cup

US engineering giant CH2M Hill has beaten off competition from Mace and Arup to be appointed to head the construction effort for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, thought to be worth at least £5bn.

The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee announced late yesterday that it had appointed CH2M Hill to “ensure the successful delivery of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.”

CH2M Hill will have responsibility for building venues and training sites, as well as major infrastructure works such as the New Doha International Airport and the proposed nationwide metro network.

The supreme committee said that CH2M HILL’s role will continue for two years after the tournament to ensure implxementation of the legacy commitments to Fifa for the games. It said it had shortlisted six consortiums for the role, which were thought to include roles for Shard-builder Mace, engineer Arup and consultant Turner and Townsend.

Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee secretary general, Hassan Al Thawadi, said the appointment process had begun immediately after winning the bid in December 2010, and that the “road ahead will be challenging.” He said: “We studied all the proposals with the utmost care in order to ensure that we selected the right partner. 

While the proposals we received from those companies that made the shortlist were impressive, it was important to us that the appointed company met the set criteria we had in mind, in addition to complimenting and understanding the vision of our committee.  We believe that CH2M HILL is the ideal partner.”

Al Thawadi added: “Our work with CH2M HILL in planning and delivering a successful World Cup will require co-operation with and assistance from local stakeholders and partners, from both public and private sectors. The road ahead will be challenging. Today’s appointment is a key initial milestone on our journey.”