Aramco to finalise long-term agreements with engineering firms
4 February 2026
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Saudi Aramco is on course to finalise long-term agreements (LTAs) with prominent energy sector engineering firms, aiming to create a pool of consultants it can engage in future for project study- and design-related requirements.
The structure of this proposed pool of engineering consultants will be similar to Aramco’s existing general engineering services-plus (GES+) group, which provides project management and engineering services – including concept studies, pre-front-end engineering and design (pre-feed) and feed – to support Aramco’s capital programmes in Saudi Arabia across onshore greenfield and brownfield projects in gas, oil and new-energy infrastructure.
Aramco also maintains LTA pools with offshore and onshore engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors, and the layout of the planned pool of engineering firms will be akin to those two bodies, sources told MEED.
According to sources, the following companies, among others, are understood to have submitted proposals to Aramco for the proposed LTA pool of engineering consultants:
- Bechtel (US)
- Fluor (US)
- KBR (US)
- Wood (UK)
- Worley (Australia)
Aramco received proposals from these firms last year and has since held several rounds of “discussions and negotiations” with them, sources said. The Saudi energy giant is now believed to have agreed with the bidders the terms and other aspects on which the proposed LTA engineering pool is to be built, sources added.
“If all goes to plan, we could see Aramco signing LTAs with the contractors to create the group within the first quarter [of 2026],” one source said.
While Aramco’s planned engineering LTA pool will be “largely similar” to its GES+ group, sources said a key distinguishing factor will be the ability of consultants in the new pool to bid for, and secure, engineering work for Aramco’s international projects, as well as to execute overseas work for Aramco’s in-kingdom projects.
The GES+ body, which comprises joint ventures between foreign and local firms, receives tenders from Aramco only for in-kingdom engineering studies. The GES+ pool consists of the following entities:
- KBR (US) / Abdulhadi & Al-Moaibed Consulting Engineering Company (AMCDE; local)
- SNC-Lavalin (Canada) / Fayez Engineering (local)
- Jacobs (US)
- Worley (Australia)
- Wood Group (UK) / Faisal Jamel Al-Hejailan Engineering (local) / Dar Al-Riyadh Engineering Consultants (DAR) / Petro-Infrastructure Engineering (PI Consult)
- Technip Energies (France) / Dar Al-Riyadh Engineering Consultants (local)
- Bechtel (US) / Arabian Consulting Engineering Centre (local)
ALSO READ: Aramco picks consultant for New Energies scheme
READ THE FEBRUARY 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF
Spending on oil and gas production surges; Doha’s efforts support extraordinary growth in 2026; Water sector regains momentum in 2025.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the February 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
|
> AGENDA: Mena upstream spending set to soar
> INDUSTRY REPORT: MEED's GCC water developer ranking
> INDUSTRY REPORT: Pipeline boom lifts Mena water awards
> MARKET FOCUS: Qatar’s strategy falls into place
> CURRENT AFFAIRS: Iran protests elevate regional uncertainty
> CONTRACT AWARDS: Contract awards decline in 2025
> LEADERSHIP: Tomorrow’s communities must heal us, not just house us
> INTERVIEW: AtkinsRealis on building faster
> LEADERSHIP: Energy security starts with rethinking waste
|
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Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the February 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
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Elon Musk-backed firm signs Dubai Loop construction deal
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Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has signed an agreement with Elon Musk-backed firm The Boring Company to begin construction of the Dubai Loop transportation system.
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit in Dubai on 3 February.
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Saudi Arabia’s Water Transmission Company (WTCO) has extended the bid submission deadline for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts for two major independent water transmission system projects.
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Commentary
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EditorRead the February issue of MEED Business Review
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