KUALA LUMPUR: BINA PURI HOLDINGS BHD [] has secured a housing contract in Brunei worth B$288.73 million (RM693 million) to build 2,000 houses for the government’s housing scheme.

Bina Puri said yesterday it had accepted the contract from the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) for the project, which would be undertaken over 24 months.

“With the award, the group’s current book order stands at RM2.7 billion,” it said.

This confirms a report in The Edge weekly where the CONSTRUCTION [] firm was close to securing the housing deal via its wholly owned unit Bina Puri (B) Sdn Bhd. The firm was a front-runner after an international tender exercise, as it had made an attractive bid in terms of price.

Bina Puri said the latest was the highest project value secured in one single contract.

According to BEDB, the housing project would span a 180ha site in a location known as Kampung Pandan in Kuala Belait, where 1,200 terraced and 800 semi-detached houses would be constructed.

Prior to the housing project, Bina Puri had secured two contracts in October 2007, where it carried out works at the Sungai Liang Industrial Park, Belait District, valued at RM33.6 million. The projects were completed in August last year.

Apart from Brunei, Bina Puri’s other overseas foray includes Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Pakistan and Libya. Shares of Bina Puri added 10 sen to 90 sen yesterday with some 25,000 shares traded.