Although Melamchi construction has ground to a halt, five foreign companies have applied to manage Kathmandu's water supply. Two are British, two French and one German, but officials at the Melamchi Water Supply Project would not name them. "We will go through the letters and short list the names of the bidders," Noor Tamarakar of the Kathmandu Valley Management Support Committee said. The management contract will be for four years initially and will be extended for another two if the performance of the operator is found successful. Two earlier biddings ended inconclusively after the French company, Vivendi, was the only final bidder. Melamchi's donors have said tunnel construction of the $464 million project must not begin unless the management contractor for distribution of the water is selected.