Bahrain has taken another step toward developing the Bahrain Northern Link Road (BNLR) as a public-private partnership (PPP), with financial proposals opened for the project’s transaction advisory services.
The Bahrain Tender Board opened the financial bids on 6 August 2026, receiving proposals from the Bahrain operations of PwC, EY and KPMG. PwC Bahrain submitted the lowest offer at BD1.92 million ($5.1 million), followed by EY Consulting at BD2.26 million ($6 million) and KPMG Advisory at BD3.89 million ($10.3 million).
The appointed adviser will provide financial, technical and legal advisory services, including feasibility studies, PPP structuring, preparation of tender documents, support during the bidding and evaluation process, negotiations and assistance through financial close.
The 29.5-kilometre Northern Link Road is planned to run from the North Manama Causeway Bridge to Suhaila Island and onwards to the planned King Hamad Causeway. The highway is intended to provide an additional east-west connection and support traffic movements between Khalifa Bin Salman Port and Saudi Arabia.
The transaction advisory appointment represents an important early-stage procurement opportunity ahead of the main PPP tender. Once the project structure and financing arrangements are developed, the programme is expected to move toward the procurement of the private-sector partner responsible for delivering the highway.
For infrastructure developers, international contractors, engineering firms and financial institutions, the project provides an opportunity to monitor Bahrain’s emerging PPP pipeline at an early stage.
Sources: Bahrain Tender Board, MEED, Gulf Construction.