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Fifty-nine firms, including local and international companies, have expressed interest in tendering for residential buildings at various land ports across the kingdom.

The project will be tendered as a public-private partnership (PPP) on a design, build, finance, operate, maintain, transfer basis, with a contract duration of 23 years, including the construction period.

The client, Saudi Arabia’s Zakat, Tax & Customs Authority (Zatca), in collaboration with the National Centre for Privatisation & PPP (NCP), issued the expression of interest (EoI) request for the contract in June.

The nine land ports where the residential buildings will be developed are Al-Batha, Salwa, Al-Raqi, Jadidat Arar, Al-Hadithah, Halat Ammar, Al-Durrah, Al-Wadiah and Empty Quarter.

According to a company announcement, the 44 Saudi companies that submitted EoIs are:

• Abdulaziz Alhajaj Contracting
• AlBawani
• Al-Gihaz Holding Company
• Al-Kifah Holding Company
• Al-Majal Al-Arabi Group
• Al-Marshad Group Contracting
• Al-Yamama Company for Trading & Contracting
• Al-Rajhi Building & Construction Company
• Alfanar
• Alkobraish Investment & Construction
• Alrawaf Company for Trading & Construction
• Annasban Group
• Arabtech Jardaneh & Partners for Engineering Consultancy
• Asr Taqa Contracting Co 
• BEC Arabia
• Buhur for investment
• Buna Al-Khaleej Contracting
• Consolidated Contracting Solutions
• Construction Land Company for Contracting
• Erada Advanced Projects
• FAS Energy & Infrastructure
• Haji Abdullah Alireza & Company
• Himmah
• Horizon Contracting Company
• International Hospitals Construction Company
• Mada International Holding
• Masic Logistics
• Maskan Arabia
• Mowah Company
• Pankingdom Real Estate
• Rakaa Trading Holding Company
• Razek Contracting Company
• Rekeep Saudi
• Retal Urban Development Company
• Rio Arabia for Contracting
• Samama Company for Operation & Management
• Samaya Investment Company
• Saudi Arabian Trading & Construction Company
• Tamimi Global Services & Maintenance Company
• Tatweer Building Company
• Twaik M Al-Otaibi for Contracting
• Urbas Middle East
• Vision International Investment Company
• Zamil Group Real Estate Company

The international companies that submitted EoIs are:

• Abrdn Investcorp Infrastructure Investments Manager (Bahrain)
• Alghanim International (Kuwait)
• Contrax International (UAE)
• Destravis Group (Australia)
• Edgenta Arabia (Malyasia)
• Hassan Allam Holding (Egypt)
• Lamar Holding (Bahrain)
• Meinhardt (Singapore)
• Mi Group (UAE)
• Pini Group (Switzerland)
• Plenary Group (Australia)
• Salfo Engineering & Management (Greece)
• AtkinsRealis (Canada)
• Tamasuk Holding Company (US Minor Outlying Islands)
• Thales (France)

The contract covers the construction and management of new residential buildings and associated facilities at land ports and the rehabilitation of existing ones.

PPP plans

In April 2023, Saudi Arabia announced a P&PPP pipeline that includes 200 projects across 17 sectors.

This P&PPP pipeline aims to attract local and international investors and ensure their readiness to participate in the schemes tendered to the market.

The initiative comes as the kingdom strives to increase the attractiveness of its economy and raise the private sector’s contribution to GDP.