Where is the work?
Forewarned is forearmed - a very apt phrase for this section of the Expat Network website. Expats need to know where their future work might be coming from so it makes sense for us to research new areas of the globe that are likely to need skilled professionals. We trawl the media, web and specialist trade publications for the hottest leads
Contract of the Month
Riyadh to Undergo SR278bn Face-lift
The Riyadh Development Authority (RDA) recently approved a comprehensive plan to overhaul the capital city, keeping wide, open areas in the city centre and building a ring road around them.
“The project will bring about a facelift of downtown Riyadh and make it an outstanding historic, administrative, economic and cultural centre in the Kingdom,” said Ibrahim Al-Sultan, a member of the RDA and head of its centre for projects and planning.
He was speaking to reporters after an RDA meeting in Riyadh, which was chaired by Riyadh Gov. Prince Khaled bin Bandar and attended by Deputy Gov. Prince Turki bin Abdullah.
Al-Sultan said the plan also includes development of housing projects in the city centre and pedestrian pathways that would enhance the look of the city and make it more comfortable for citizens and residents.
“The central region will have three main railway lines and several bus routes,” he said. It will also house the main railway station, which will be part of the city’s public transport system.
“We’ll create a new cultural, heritage and tourism route, beginning from the King Abdul Aziz Historical Centre to the Government Palace (Qasr Al-Hukm),” the official said.
Saudis and expatriates in Riyadh have welcomed the plan to develop the city centre, saying it would ease traffic and make it more environmentally friendly.
Al-Sultan said 3,088 development projects worth SR 278 billion are being implemented in different parts of the Riyadh region.
Sixty-two agencies have been authorized to follow up on the implementation of these projects. These agencies will also generate proposals for the development of the region and ways to remove obstacles facing development. They will present regular progress reports to the governor.
The RDA meeting approved the rules and regulations for the development of Wadi Haneefa and surrounding valleys. The project aims to make use of the area as a tourist and amusement centre while protecting its agricultural and heritage sites.
The meeting also reviewed the region’s investment climate and highlighted its various investment opportunities, Al-Sultan said.
There was a visual presentation of the public transport system for Riyadh city, including two networks for trains and buses.
The meeting discussed RDA’s preparations to implement the public transport project while reviewing its specifications, administrative and technical aspects and routes.
Four international consortia are competing to build a metro network in Riyadh. They include 33 companies from 15 countries.
The bidders for the project include Vinci and Alstom of France, Italy’s Ansaldo, Canada’s Bombardier, Germany’s Siemens and Stadler Bussnang of Switzerland.
Six lines of electric rail, totalling 175 km, are planned across Riyadh to serve the airport and the King Abdullah Financial District currently under construction.
The RDA indicated that it might award the contract to more than one consortium considering the project’s huge size.
More Contract News
Want more Hot Leads? Members can find more Contract News here, including:
- Lebanon Awards $348m Contract for Two Power Plants
- Subsea 7 S.A. Awarded Contracts Offshore Brazil
- Iraq Announces Prequalifiers for Nasiriyah Project
- Ma'aden Prequalifies Contractors for $6bn Phosphates City
- Aecom Team Lands $72m Riyadh Airport Expansion
- Four International Banks to Fund Turkey's Railways Projects
- Petronas Expected to Award US$2bn Job to Japan's JGC Corp
- SAOG Bags Contract in Oman
- Kiewit-Kvaerner to provide EPC services for Hebron Project GBS
Contract News Archive
With lots of contracts news each month, members can see the most recent in our Contract News Archive here
News Round Up
Recruitment News Round Up:
A collection of recent press announcements, newspaper articles, blog entries, press releases, Expat Network member correspondence that reflects on expatriate experiences and cover recruitment in the overseas and home markets.
In this month:
- TXM Recruit Appoints Ian Thomson
- Recruiters Assess Post-Chavez Venezuela
- Saudi Moots Earlier Retirement for Expats
Tenders
Not content with contract news, we often come across tenders that have gone out or prequalification bids coming in. For some of you this stuff is way too much information, but we’ve been around expats with forward-planning models that would blow your mind.
Know something we don’t?
You can always send in any information you come across, if you think it would be helpful to your fellow expats. Just send your news items to Sheila Hare
