The General Procurement Notice, issued on 14 September 2026, states that the Islamic Development Bank financing amounts to EUR 376.05 million, equivalent to about US$427.30 million, and will pay for works and consultancy services on the project. The corridor as a whole runs for approximately 462.03 kilometres and is being developed under a parallel co-financing arrangement with the Asian Development Bank and the Development Bank of Kazakhstan. The implementing agency is JSC National Company QazAvtoJol, which has published the notice on the bank's procurement portal.
The section financed by the Islamic Development Bank is upgraded to Category I-B four-lane divided highway standard. It comprises a bypass around the settlement of Ayteke Bi, roughly 11.98 kilometres between km 327 and km 339, plus about 122.26 kilometres running towards Saksaulsk. The scope covers earthworks, drainage, bridges, interchanges, road safety features and Intelligent Transport Systems, together with seven years of performance-based maintenance after construction. Works are contracted under a Design-Build-Maintain model spanning 11 years: one year of detailed design and three years of construction financed by the bank, followed by seven years of maintenance funded by the Government of Kazakhstan, including a two-year defects liability period.
Procurement runs through International Competitive Bidding among Islamic Development Bank member countries, without prequalification, using request-for-proposal documents for output- and performance-based road contracts under a single-stage, two-envelope procedure with rated criteria evaluation. The works are tendered as one package split into two lots evaluated lot-wise: Lot 1 covers km 327 to km 400, about 72.21 kilometres, and Lot 2 covers km 400 to km 462, about 62.03 kilometres. A margin of preference applies to eligible domestic contractors. A second component will engage project management and construction supervision consultants through quality- and cost-based selection from national shortlists. Specific procurement notices will be posted on the bank's website, DgMarket and the QazAvtoJol site as they become available.
The stated project development objective is to improve transport connectivity, road safety and climate resilience along the Kyzylorda–Saksaulsk corridor by upgrading the road to higher technical standards. The route forms part of the International North–South and Western Europe – Western China transit corridors and supports the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor. The notice says the completed project is expected to increase traffic capacity, reduce travel time and vehicle operating costs, and support Kazakhstan's role as a key regional transport and logistics hub, while improving market access for rural communities in the Kyzylorda region.
