The tender has been divided into three parts with an investment of 120 million yuan (US$15.4 million) each, according to a notice on the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad website.

The temporary structures for the Games will include various buildings and facilities such as dining halls, meeting rooms, parking lots, roads, passages for ticket examination, convenience stores, and booths for radio or TV commentators.

The project has already generated interest from some companies. For instance, the State-owned Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG), which was contracted to build 70 per cent of the permanent Olympic venues, has shown great enthusiasm for the bidding.

BUCG signed a joint-venture agreement in August with Netherlands-based De Boer Group, the world's leading provider of rental structures and accommodation solutions, to jointly explore the market.

Dong Bin, deputy general manager of Beijing Urban Construction International Co Ltd under BUCG, said the construction cost of temporary structures is much lower than that of permanent ones.

Savings can also be made on land transfer costs and post-Games maintenance fees. Furthermore, almost all parts of a temporary structure can be reused and they have minimal impact on the land, causing no permanent or destructive damage to the environment.