At the request of local and international companies and consortia, Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities extended the pre-qualification period for interested parties to submit documents in the open tender to manage the facilities of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) complex, scheduled to open in 2020.

Tarek Tawfik, supervisor general of the GEM, told Ahram Online that the new deadline for pre-qualification submissions would be Tuesday, 25 September. The deadline for receiving site visit requests has been extended to 6 September.

Tawfik said that pre-qualification documents received will be opened in a public session Wednesday, 26 September, at the GEM.

Tawfik explained that facilities include a 1,000-seat conference centre, a 500-seat cinema, 10 restaurants, with two overlooking the Giza Pyramids, food courts, bookshops and other retail outlets, a traditional arts and crafts centre, and a multifunctional building that could be for administrative purposes or as a boutique hotel.

He underlined that the Ministry of Antiquities is the only authority responsible for the management and security of GEM‘s treasured collection, as well as anything related to antiquities, such as exhibition halls, the maintenance and restoration centre, and the children’s museum.

The GEM complex is a cultural institution located on an area of approximately 500,000 m2 adjacent to the Giza Pyramids. By time of opening it will constitute one of the largest museums in the world displaying the heritage of a single civilisation. 

The museum will contain over 100,000 artifacts, reflecting Egypt's past from prehistory through the Greek and Roman periods, in an area of 92,000 m2.