The initial works on the Expo 2020 site have commenced — with the land now ready and the Expo Dubai Bureau set to announce the names of contractors executing the infrastructure work. Najeeb Al Ali, executive director of Expo 2020, said: “We have an overall master plan and we are well into our initial phases … and we are going as per the initial plan. Everything is on track with no delays”.   The Expo 2020 Dubai Bureau has already awarded the first package for infrastructure work, and plans to award further additional ones over the next couple of quarters, a spokesperson said. In 2018, the infrastructure requirements will be complete, while construction that the Bureau is directly responsible for should be over by late 2019. There will also be work associated with different countries on their national pavilions, and each country is responsible for that. Last week, the Bureau announced that 20% of the Expo’s total direct and indirect spend will be allocated to SMEs. This represents more than AED5bn in contracts, with the Expo’s total budget at AED25bn. (Gulf News)