NCP seeks firms for Mecca mixed-use development PPP
1 July 2025
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Saudi Arabia’s National Centre for Privatisation & PPP (NCP), in collaboration with the Holy Makkah Municipality and the Ministry of Municipalities & Housing, has issued an expression of interest (EoI) and request for qualification notice for the development of a mixed-use project along Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Road in Mecca.
The EoI notice was issued on 26 June, with a submission deadline of 27 July.
The development includes a shopping mall, a 200-bed long-term care facility and a 100-bed multi-speciality hospital.
According to an official notice, the project will be located on a government-owned site spanning about 220,000 square metres (sq m) and will offer direct access to the Holy Mosque while bypassing the congestion of Mecca’s city centre.
The public-private partnership (PPP) project will be delivered using a build, own, operate and transfer contract with a 30-year term. Upon completion of the contract term, the project will be transferred to the Holy Makkah Municipality.
This announcement follows the launch of the EoI notice for the development of the King Fahd suburb boulevard project in Dammam.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Municipalities & Housing issued the notice in collaboration with Ashraq Development Company and the NCP.
The project features a 4 kilometre (km) mixed-use zone along a central boulevard, forming part of a larger 7.3km corridor.
The project will be developed in two phases and span about 1 million sq m.
Saudi PPP market
The value of PPP contracts in Saudi Arabia has risen sharply over the past two years as the government seeks to develop projects through the private sector and diversify funding sources.
According to MEED Projects data, in 2023, the value of PPP concession contracts hit an all-time high of $28.2bn, equivalent to more than 23% of the total value of all project contracts awarded that year. Although that figure fell to 18.3% last year, it was still far higher than the historical average in the kingdom.
The figures are even starker when taking only government spending into account. In 2023, the value of signed PPP contracts totalled more than a third of the value of government or government-related projects awarded in 2023 and more than a quarter last year. This is compared to the average of 15.6% between 2019 and 2022, and just 3.5% recorded in 2018.
Government contracts include awards made by ministries, municipalities and royal commissions, in addition to state-funded key project clients such as Saudi Water Authority, the National Housing Company and Jeddah Airports Company. Public Investment Fund (PIF) subsidiaries such as Neom, the National Water Company and Rua Al-Madinah are also included.
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The request for qualifications (RFQs) was issued by the municipality’s Sewerage and Recycled Water Projects Department (SRPD).
The bid submission deadline is 26 February.
The first scheme under the package is TF-16-C1, which involves upgrading and rehabilitating the stormwater system east of the Dubai Canal.
The second, TF-15-C2, will deliver stormwater links along Umm Suqeim Road to serve the Al-Barsha and Al-Quoz communities.
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Modon tenders Ras El-Hekma construction contracts
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Abu Dhabi-based developer Modon Holding has tendered several contracts as part of the first phase of development at Ras El-Hekma, a planned new city on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast.
MEED understands that the tenders were issued in January.
These include:
DP3 assets: covering 146 residential villas, 590 three-bedroom townhouses, 356 four-bedroom townhouses, a mall and other associated works.
Bids due on 23 February.
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Modon has accelerated development works at Ras El-Hekma this year. In January, MEED reported that Modon Holding had awarded a E£15bn ($316m) contract for the construction of a project at Ras El-Hekma.
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The announcement followed AD Ports Group’s signing of a shareholders’ agreement in January 2024 between its digital arm, Maqta Gateway, and Jordan’s Aqaba Development Corporation regarding their existing joint-venture company, Maqta Ayla.
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Chinese firm wins Ceer automotive supplier park deal
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