AMAALA reaches agreement to open up projects to SCA contractor members
Memorandum of Understanding includes use of online portal for qualified and interested local contractors intending to bid through the portal
Luxury developer AMAALA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will encourage local Saudi Contractors Authority (SCA) member contractors to bid on its projects via an online “Project Participation Platform”.
The two organisations said the agreement was in line with Saudi Vision 2030 goals and “sets forth a preliminary pact” for cooperation in a number of fields including sharing projects in AMAALA’s pipeline with members of the SCA and highlighting qualified and interested parties intending to bid through the portal.
“Saudi Arabia is undergoing an exciting transition towards a new and diversified economy,” said John Pagano, CEO at AMAALA. “AMAALA is a key driver of change, bringing with it a wealth of opportunities for the private sector and it is our ambition to ensure we support Saudi businesses to participate and benefit from the development of this significant destination from the outset.”
“This new partnership with SCA will help us to better connect with Saudi people and businesses, which will in turn enable us to meet our ambitious Saudization targets, whilst connecting the association with contractors already engaged on our project to drive awareness of their important programs” added Pagano.
In a statement, the two organisations explained that efforts will be aligned to localise the contracting sector by encouraging contractors engaged with AMAALA to benefit from the localisation programmes and incentives offered by SCA: “AMAALA is central to a number of growing industries and, once completed, the destination will support more than 50,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs providing opportunities to people throughout the country.”
The MoU also outlines a framework of joint cooperation between both entities, including the establishment of staff training courses and sharing of studies and statistics relating to the local construction sector.
Eng. Thabet Al-Sawayeed, governor, SCA added: “This partnership is a key step towards achieving our goal of aiding Saudi contractors to participate in the new landscape of projects established to drive the Vision 2030 strategy forward successfully. Working with AMAALA and their existing contractors in this capacity will also allow us to further enable the uptake of our localisation programmes which incentivise organizations to empower Saudis through training and employment.”
