Up to four leading international contractors or consortia have submitted bids to state-owned giant QatarEnergy for a sizeable offshore contract involving further development of its Idd El-Shargi North Dome (ISND) offshore oilfield.

Several sources familiar with the process told Upstream that technical bids were recently submitted, after being delayed on a few occasions.

The most recent ISND contract is widely touted to be valued at upwards of $400 million and comprises up to three offshore platforms.

Following the submission of technical bids, commercial offers for ISND are likely to be submitted within a month or two and QatarEnergy is expected to finalise its preferred bidder before the end of this year, one source said.