Hill International selected as project manager for SmartCity Kochi in India

The two-and-a-half year contract has an estimated value to Hill of approximately IR373m ($9.1m).

Located in the southeastern Indian coastal city of Kochi, SmartCity Kochi will be a technology epicenter.

The development, built on approximately 300 acres and developed as a Special Economic Zone, is expected to become one of India's largest business parks.

SmartCity Kochi is aimed to be the platform for technological excellence where major global and local businesses will be attracted to set up their regional operations and is projected to generate more than 90,000 employment opportunities.

SmartCity Kochi will provide a competitive environment and a world-class infrastructure for these companies by leveraging on its location, local government support and the reputation of SmartCity Kochi.

Another important feature of the project is the development of a sustainable township based on the U.S. Green Building Council LEED standard.

The first phase of SmartCity Kochi is expected to cost approximately IR15bn ($350m).

Hill's services on the development will include project administration, document control, master scheduling, budgeting and cost management, project reporting, design management, value engineering, construction tendering, construction program management and claims management.

"We are very excited to be entering the Indian market with such an important project," said Raouf S. Ghali, President of Hill's Project Management Group (International). "SmartCity Kochi will be a state-of-the-art business community," Ghali added.