Chinese contractors quit Saudi market over standards, quality
EPCCI says issues over quality of materials being used in construction projects led to market switching to American and British contractors, which prompted the withdrawal
Difficulties in executing construction projects in accordance with Saudi Arabia’s rules and regulations have prompted several Chinese contractors to withdraw from the Kingdom’s construction market and quit government and private construction projects, according to the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EPCCI).
Member of EPCCI’s Environment Committee, Abdullah Al-Sayed attributed the failure to the updated systems and high quality building materials being used in construction projects.
“When Chinese contractors were asked to improve the quality, they argued that the costs were too high and asked for amendments to be made to their contracts,” Al-Sayed said.
“This put their prices on par with their American and European counterparts, which are far more experienced and produce high quality buildings. They also offer superior after-sales service,” he added.
Another member of EPCCI’s Contracting Committee, said low cost leads to low quality and called for more support to be extended to national construction companies.
“If you want high quality, you have to pay for it. Our national companies have a lot of experience and better knowledge of the construction industry, which is a great contributor to GDP,” said Abdullah Al-Hazza.
