Field report: Riyadh
5 May 2023

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Contracts worth over $2.7bn have been awarded in Riyadh Province so far this year.
MEED field researchers visited Riyadh in mid-April to monitor the progress on construction projects including Diriyah Gate, King Salman International Park and Riyadh Sports Boulevard.
The team also called in on two of Saudi Entertainment Ventures' (Seven's) entertainment complexes and several National Housing Company housing schemes, among other projects.
At the Diriyah Gate project, construction works are progressing on the digital arts centre Diriyah Art Futures and Heritage Five Star hotel in Samhan district.
MEED researchers were able to get visuals of Diriyah Gate's now-completed restaurant complex, Bujairi Terrace.

Opened in December 2022, Bujairi Terrace comprises 21 restaurants over a 15,000 square-metre area
Elsewhere, construction works have started on the Ministry of Culture's headquarters building at Diriyah, while the site preparatory works are under way at the Northern Cultural District P3 car park, where the ground-breaking ceremony took place recently.
Local/Chinese team begins underground main spine tunnel roundabout base slab works
Structural works are under way at Saudi Electricity Company's Diriyah 380/132/13.8kV substation and the super basement project, which WeBuild is delivering.

Diriyah Development Company's three-floor super basement car park will serve the mixed-use Diriyah Square district, which will include leisure and entertainment, hotels, retail, grade A offices, the King Salman Grand mosque and residential units designed in the traditional Najdi architectural style
KING SALMAN INTERNATIONAL PARK
Structural works are progressing well at the Royal Art Complex, the single biggest project in execution by value at King Salman International Park so far. Modern Building Leaders won the contract, worth $1.3bn, to build the project in 2022.

In addition to the Royal Art Complex, the 1,300-hectare masterplanned King Salman Park project includes a national theatre, museums, galleries, a golf course, and spaces for commercial, hospitality and residential components
Construction on the main tunnels and bridges project continues, with the bridge structure now in place. A joint venture (JV) of Consolidated Contractors Company and El-Seif Engineering Contracting Company is executing the project, which is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2024.

King Salman Park was launched by King Salman in March 2019, alongside the Green Riyadh, Riyadh Art and Riyadh Sports Boulevard projects
The construction works are ongoing at almost all of the packages for Riyadh Sports Boulevard.
The projects currently in execution at the Riyadh Sports Boulevard include King Abdul-Aziz underpass package 8 and Abu Bakr underpass package 9, Zone 1A, Zone 1B, Zone 2A, Zone 5A, Zone 6: Package A, B, C, D, E and Cycling Bridge.

Riyadh Sports Boulevard – Package 5 Arts District. There are eight districts in total, with districts for entertainment, athletics and sports also planned
The structural works are under way at Seven's Al-Hamra entertainment complex (Exit 10), for which Al-Futtaim Engineering has been appointed as the mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) contractor.
Exit 10 is at the most advanced stage of construction out of the 21 planned entertainment complexes in 14 cities across the kingdom.
Meanwhile, early works proceed apace at Seven's Al-Nahdah entertainment complex (Exit 15) project. Consolidated Contractors Company is delivering the project.

Seven is owned by the Public Investment Fund and was formed in December 2017 as part of Riyadh’s push to localise Saudi spending on entertainment under the mandate of Vision 2030
Elsewhere in Riyadh, the client is delivering the housing units for Roshn's Sedra District community homes phase 1A, package 1. Indian contractor Shapoorji Pallonji is carrying out the construction works, which are in the finishing stages.

Located northeast of the Saudi capital, Sedra will consist of over 2,100 residential units, along with public parks, entertainment areas, retail, coffee shops and restaurants, community centres, schools, sports facilities and health care facilities
National Housing Company (NHC) is well on track with building its housing schemes in Riyadh. The infrastructure works are currently under way at the Dahiyat al-Fursan phase 1 project in the north of Riyadh. The work is being carried out by Al-Omaier Trading & Contracting.
Likewise, construction works are at advanced stages at NHC’s Al-Mashraqiya housing complex as well as for several of the packages at the Murcia complex, most notably Narges View, Rabieh Housing, Saraya al-Gwan, Asalah al-Gwan, Rawa Housing and the Al-Muhannadiya complex.

National Housing Company's Al-Mashraqiya housing complex, where construction is at an advanced stage
The foundation works are in progress at Shomoul Holdings’ The Avenues Riyadh project.
The project is one of the largest commercial malls in the Middle East and includes multiple districts such as Prestige, Grand Avenue, The Souk, The Mall, Electra, Oasis, Grand Plaza, The Forum and The Walk. Nesma & Partners won the project's main construction contract, worth $1.76bn, in 2021.
There is no construction activity at the Mall of Saudi project site. MEED exclusively reported this week that the Dubai-based developer Majid al-Futtaim (MAF) had put the plans for its estimated SR6bn ($1.6bn) project in Riyadh on hold.
By Yasir Iqbal, research manager MEED.com | MEED Projects | MEED Insight
Exclusive from Meed
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Riyadh Expo sets November bid deadline for Souq construction29 October 2026
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Iraq oilfield water scheme to hit milestone next year29 October 2026
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Dubai tenders Al-Awir sewerage and stormwater works29 October 2026
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Adnoc Onshore selects contractors for well tie-ins project27 October 2026
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Ashghal tenders Al-Udeid air base access road works27 October 2026
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Riyadh Expo sets November bid deadline for Souq construction29 October 2026

Expo 2030 Riyadh Company (ERC), responsible for delivering the Expo 2030 Riyadh venue, has allowed contractors until 11 November to submit bids for a contract to deliver the Souq areas within the Expo site.
The tender was floated on 30 July, with an initial submission deadline of 9 October.
The Souq areas are divided into five distinct precincts, with a total development area of about 300,000 square metres (sq m).
The scope includes the five precincts and their associated vertical elements, infrastructure and public realm works.
The precincts comprise:
- Precinct 1 – The Icon: 41,417 sq m
- Precinct 2 – Place & Planet: 62,306 sq m
- Precinct 3 – Culture of Wisdom: 67,112 sq m
- Precinct 4 – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: 45,967 sq m
- Precinct 5 – Adaptation & Innovation: 82,358 sq m
The package will interface with three public parks. It will also tie into the Natural Corridor, including bridges.
The Souq areas will form a mixed-use destination at the centre of Expo 2030 Riyadh, connecting the site’s iconic and thematic assets.
The development will include rented and partnership pavilions, alongside a range of food and beverage, retail and visitor-experience offerings.
Site progress
Construction activity at the Expo site is accelerating, with Riyadh moving to award its first major vertical contracts and advancing infrastructure works across the programme.
Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for Riyadh City awarded a design-and-build contract to build a new metro station serving the Expo 2030 site.
In April, ERC awarded two contracts to local firm Al-Yamama Company for the next phase of infrastructure works at the site.
The scope covered the construction of road networks and infrastructure for water, sewage, electricity, telecommunications and electric vehicle charging.
These awards followed ERC’s January award of an estimated SR1bn ($267m) contract for initial infrastructure works at the site to local firm Nesma & Partners.
That scope covered about 50 kilometres of integrated infrastructure networks, including internal roads and essential utilities such as water, sewage, electrical and communications systems, and electric vehicle charging stations.
The masterplan covers 6 square kilometres, making it one of the largest sites ever designated for a World Expo event. Situated to the north of the Saudi capital, the site will be located near the future King Salman International airport and will provide direct access to landmarks within Riyadh.
The Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth vehicle, launched ERC – a wholly owned subsidiary – in June 2025 to build and operate facilities for Expo 2030.
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Iraq oilfield water scheme to hit milestone next year29 October 2026

China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering (CPP) expects to start laying pipeline for Iraq’s Common Seawater Supply Project (CSSP) in Basra in mid- or late next year, according to industry sources.
The project is behind schedule, partly because importing sections of pipeline is proving challenging due to disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The project is being managed by state-owned Basra Oil Company (BOC), with Australia’s ILF acting as a project management consultant after completing the front-end engineering design (feed).
Under current plans, the pipelines will be buried, which is expected to make them more secure than if they were installed on the surface.
Phased development
The client for the first phase of the CSSP is France’s TotalEnergies in partnership with QatarEnergy and BOC.
The first phase is split into two packages currently under execution and will ultimately have the capacity to transport 5 million barrels a day (b/d) of water.
The first package focuses on developing pipelines, and the second on developing a water treatment facility.
CPP is executing the pipeline package contract.
It signed a $2.5bn contract with BOC for the package in September last year.
Also in September 2025, South Korea’s Hyundai announced that it had signed a contract worth 4.39tn won ($3.16bn) for the processing plant package.
In September this year, MEED reported that early groundworks had started for both packages of the first phase of the CSSP.
Phase one of the project is scheduled to start up in late 2028 or early 2029.
Earlier this month, US-headquartered Exxon Mobil signed a memorandum of understanding related to the project’s second phase, which is expected to add 2.5 million b/d of water capacity.
The CSSP will inject processed water into several of Iraq’s biggest oil fields. These include Rumaila, Zubair, West Qurna 1, West Qurna 2 and Majnoon. Water from the project will also be used in the Maysan and Dhi Qar fields.
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Dubai tenders Al-Awir sewerage and stormwater works29 October 2026

Dubai Municipality has invited contractors to bid for a contract to build sewerage and stormwater infrastructure in New Al-Awir 1st.
The project (DS317-C1) comprises about 95 kilometres of sewerage gravity network, excluding house connections, and about 105km of stormwater pipelines. The scope also includes house connection pipes, a stormwater pond and oil interceptors.
According to tender documents seen by MEED, the tender was issued on 23 October, with a bid submission deadline of 12 November.
The project comes amid wider residential and infrastructure development in Al-Awir 1. In January 2025, Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) announced plans to build 16.5km of internal roads in the area, including a new entrance from Emirates Road.
In February 2025, MEED exclusively reported that the RTA had selected a local firm to undertake the road construction works.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Housing Establishment has also reported progress on housing projects in Al-Awir as part of a wider programme to develop residential communities across Dubai.
The sewerage and stormwater project is relatively large compared with recent stormwater tenders, with the total cost estimated at up to AED1bn ($272m).
The works will include approximately 69.2km of house connection pipes and 4,630 inspection chambers. The sewerage network will also include about 1,511 manholes, while the stormwater network will comprise approximately 1,247 manholes.
Contractors will also be required to use no-dig construction methods for sections of the pipeline. The scope includes ground investigations, utility protection and traffic management.
The bill of quantities specifies a stormwater pond with a composite volume of approximately 1.2 million cubic metres.
Earlier this week, Dubai Municipality confirmed it had awarded contracts worth AED3bn ($817m) to expand the emirate’s stormwater drainage network by about 100 square kilometres under phase three of the Tasreef programme.
The projects are part of Dubai’s AED30bn Tasreef programme and will cover Jumeirah, Umm Suqeim, Al-Quoz, Al-Barsha, Al-Wasl and Al-Marmoom.
The overall programme aims to increase the emirate’s stormwater drainage capacity by 700% and reduce costs associated with pumping stations, network operations and maintenance by 20%.
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Adnoc Onshore selects contractors for well tie-ins project27 October 2026

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Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s onshore operating arm (Adnoc Onshore) has selected contractors for a major project to tie in wells across the Bab and North East Bab oil field developments in Abu Dhabi.
Located 84 kilometres southwest of Abu Dhabi city, the Bab field has been in production since 1960 and is the emirate’s first oil-producing asset. The North East Bab cluster comprises the Al-Nouf, Rumaitha and Shanayel fields.
The Bab and North East Bab One Tie-In project is central to Adnoc Onshore’s contribution to Adnoc Group’s target of expanding crude oil production capacity to 5 million barrels a day (b/d) by 2027, an initiative known as the Accelerated Integrated Programme 5. The state energy company’s total production capacity currently stands at approximately 4.85 million b/d.
According to industry sources, Adnoc Onshore has selected local contractor Robt Stone Middle East and China’s Jereh Group to carry out engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works on the project. While both firms have been notified of their selection, a formal project kick-off meeting has yet to take place.
Adnoc Onshore is understood to have started the tendering process for the Bab and North East Bab One Tie-In project last year, with contractors submitting technical and commercial bids earlier this year.
Following the evaluation of bids, Adnoc Onshore sought best commercial offers from the bidders, which contractors submitted in May, MEED previously reported.
The project budget is estimated at $1.2bn.
Bidders for the contract are understood to have included:
- Galfar Emirates (UAE branch of Oman’s Galfar Engineering & Construction)
- Jereh (China)
- Kalpataru Projects International (India)
- Matrix Construction (UAE)
- Robt Stone Middle East (UAE)
- Target Engineering Construction Company (UAE)
The project scope covers residual engineering, procurement of materials not supplied as free-issue items, site surveys, construction, installation, inspection, testing, and pre-commissioning and commissioning support. The works will deliver new wellsite facilities, including a new mini-pad, well bays and clusters across the Bab and North East Bab developments.
Adnoc Onshore is Adnoc Group’s largest production subsidiary, accounting for roughly 2 million b/d of crude and about 7 billion cubic feet a day of associated gas from four primary onshore asset clusters: Bab, Bu Hasa, North East Bab and South East.
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Ashghal tenders Al-Udeid air base access road works27 October 2026

Qatar’s Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has invited contractors to bid on a contract to build roads and related infrastructure around Al-Udeid Air Base.
The project is located in Zone 95 of Al-Wakra Municipality, adjacent to Al-Majd Road.
The tender was issued on 22 October, with a submission deadline of 22 November.
The scope includes the construction of a dual-lane carriageway to improve access to the air base, together with three roundabouts. The alignment will connect to Al-Majd Road to the east and tie into Street 203 in Zone 95 to the west. The contractor will also resurface and maintain connections to the existing road network.
Associated works include street lighting, intelligent transport systems, directional signage and a surface-water drainage collection system.
The contractor will provide crossing ducts, protect and relocate conflicting existing utilities, and complete detailed utility designs as required by relevant stakeholders through the Qatar Design Review System.
The project also includes the design and construction of two electrical substations. The contractor must secure the necessary stakeholder and authority approvals before starting these works.
The scheme will be delivered on a remeasurable, build-only basis using designs approved by others. It will also include designated contractor-designed elements and design-and-build packages for the substations.
Bidders must submit two commercial pricing options: a base offer subject to material price-fluctuation provisions, and an alternative authority option without such provisions.
The contract has a 550-day completion period from the commencement date, including mobilisation, followed by a 400-day maintenance period after the completion certificate is issued.
Participation is restricted to local and international contractors registered under the Ministry of Finance classification system in Grade A or Grade B for road specialisation.
Unclassified foreign firms may submit equivalent certified documentation from their country of origin, attested by Qatari diplomatic missions. They must obtain Ministry of Finance registration before contract award.
For joint-venture bids, the lead partner must hold the required classification grade.
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