The Fifth Saudi Conference on Project Management, organized by the Saudi Council of Engineers, recommended the establishment of a higher administrative body to set guidelines for participation in project management, standardize procedures, and oversee the proper implementation and fairness of processes, such that among the body’s tasks would be to conduct a thorough survey to identify opportunities and needs that can be met through public-private partnerships by carrying out the necessary scientific studies, in order to keep pace with this modern and crucial phase for the nation following the launch of “Saudi Vision 2030,” which is considered the largest development project across all fields in the Kingdom’s modern history.
This was announced by Dr. Jamil Al-Baqawi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Council of Engineers, following the conclusion of the fifth edition of the Saudi Project Management Conference, which was organized under the theme “The Role of Public-Private Partnerships,” and was sponsored by His Excellency Mr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Hogail, Minister of Housing, and organized by the Saudi Council of Engineers in cooperation with the Ministry of Housing on Tuesday, 27 Rajab 1437 AH, corresponding to May 4, 2016, at the Raffles Kempinski Hotel in Riyadh, in the presence of more than 900 male and female engineers.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Society added that the recommendations also called for the proper implementation—in accordance with sound principles—of public-private partnership frameworks in project management, drawing on successful experiences from public-private partnership projects at both the international and local levels, and adapting these to meet national requirements, needs, and capabilities in project management, encouraging banks and financial institutions to support project management initiatives by providing the necessary guarantees and eliminating factors that increase risks, which could reduce the appeal of PPPs to investors and financiers, In addition, it recommended establishing a stable and fair regulatory and legal environment with clear and transparent frameworks for public-private partnerships in projects, and carefully vetting the selection and qualification of personnel working on such initiatives.
For his part, Engineer Abdulnasser Al-Abdullatif, the official spokesperson for the Council of Engineers, noted that the conference discussed topics of utmost importance, in line with and reaffirming the support provided by the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz—may God protect him—and his Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Nayef Abdulaziz, and the Second Deputy Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman—may God protect them—in supporting efforts aimed at implementing projects approved under development plans, in order to reap the benefits of these projects and achieve the well-being of citizens, given that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is among the world’s leading nations in terms of government spending on development and infrastructure projects during a critical phase for the nation following the launch of “Saudi Vision 2030”—considered the largest development project across all fields in the Kingdom’s modern history—whose objectives were organized into major categories, each of which included sub-objectives encompassing radical reforms in various sectors.
The conference addressed several key topics in the field of public-private partnerships, including an explanation of concepts and successful international experiences both locally and globally, as well as a discussion of the need for and opportunities available for this type of project, the role of banks and financial institutions, and the development of the legislative and regulatory environment to meet the needs of public-private partnership projects. Numerous working papers were presented by specialized experts, including academics and practitioners from the public and private sectors both within and outside the Kingdom. Specialized workshops were also organized on the sidelines of the conference to discuss topics of great importance in this field, in addition to an accompanying exhibition in which many relevant companies and sectors participated.
