At the start of 2014, few would have predicted which construction company would win the most work by the end of the year.

Swamped with billions of dollars of debts from the pre-2009 construction boom, Al-Jaber Group had been struggling to win new work, leading some in the industry to question whether the Abu Dhabi-based contractor would even survive heading into 2015.

Improving fortunes

After struggling to pay its debts since 2010, Al-Jaber Group’s fortunes finally turned in July, when it concluded a multibillion-dollar debt restructuring. The group did not disclose the final amount of debt, but it is thought to be about $4.5bn.

By the end of the year, Al-Jaber Group had secured more than $2bn of new orders in the UAE, making it the most active contractor in that market during 2014, as well as winning work in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

The new orders firmly re-establish the group as one of the region’s construction giants and the dominant player in Abu Dhabi’s construction market after its position was challenged in recent years by the local ArabtecConstruction when Abu Dhabi-based Aabar Investments took control of that company.

Abu Dhabi awards

In the UAE, Al-Jaber Group’s main wins came from work in Abu Dhabi. The largest order was a $700m contract to build married staff accommodation buildings in Ruwais for Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

Also in Abu Dhabi, the contractor won deals totalling $558m for two packages on the Mafraq-Ghuweifat highway scheme running through the Western Region of the emirate. These major awards were joined by a string of contract awards secured by Dubai-based Alec, which is part of the Al-Jaber Group and specialises in hotels, airports and towers.

At the end of last year, the firm was awarded a $408m deal to build a Bulgari hotel for local developer Meraas. The two-year contract involves building a resort on Jumeirah Bay Island off the coast of Jumeirah Beach Road, which has been designed to resemble a seahorse. The hotel will feature 100 rooms and suites in the main buildings, as well as 20 hotel villas. The total built-up area is about 140,000 square metres.

Alec wins

Alec was also awarded the estimated $326m deal to build the Wharf retail component of the Bluewaters scheme that is being built off Dubai’s coast close to Jumeirah Beach Residences. The shopping area will have two large parking basements and about 50,000 sq m of retail space.

In addition, Alec won the contract to build the first tower of The Residences project at the Marina Gate development in Dubai, the first of two tower contracts that it will be awarded by the local Select Group. The development consists of three luxury residential towers with a retail area. The 28-month deal, which is scheduled to commence in March, involves the construction of the first tower, with the second of the three towers planned to start construction four to five months later.

Completing the top three most active contractors for winning new work in the UAE during 2014 are Lebanon’s Arabian Construction Company, with $1.6bn of contract awards, and Beijing-based China State Construction Engineering Corporation, with $1.2bn.

Interestingly, ArabtecConstruction did not feature in the top 10 for the UAE despite signing an agreement in February with Aabar Investments for the design and build of 37 towers across Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The deal, which is expected to be worth AED22bn ($6bn), has not moved beyond the memorandum of understanding stage.

Qatar projects

The Qatar market was topped by QDVC, which is a joint venture contracting company formed by local developer Qatari Diar and French construction giant Vinci Grand Projets.
During 2014 the company secured three major orders. Two of them, covering a light rail network and a car park structure, are at Qatari Diar’s Lusail development. The other involved a package on the Public Works Authority’s Orbital Road scheme, which was won in joint venture with the local Bin Omran Group.

For local contractors, the Qatari market was led by local contractor AlJaber Engineering, which secured major new contract awards during 2014 as part of consortiums working on the Doha Metro scheme and the country’s comprehensive road-building programme.

In Saudi Arabia, the construction market had an unusual year as it was not dominated by local heavyweight Saudi Binladin Group. Instead, the local Al-Fouzan topped the rankings with $1.4bn of new work, which came from just two contract wins. The largest was an $899m award for infrastructure work in Medina for the Finance Ministry, while the other was a $507m contract for the construction of a government complex in Riyadh.

Kuwait hospitals

Two smaller markets in the GCC were also led by local contractors. Ranked first in Kuwait was Sayed Hamid Behbehani & Sons, which secured major orders on the country’s hospital upgrade programme. The largest is a $940m deal for the construction of a 955-bed annex to the Farwaniya hospital. The new facilities will offer 30 emergency rooms and 27 operating rooms together with laboratories, a pharmacy and a car park for 1,500 vehicles.

The other is a $802m contract for design and construction of the expansion of Adan Hospital. The expansion is a 637-bed annex to the existing hospital, which will have 21 operating rooms and eight emergency rooms.

Oman contracts

In Oman, the local Galfar Engineering & Contracting topped the list, with $903m of awards during 2014. Its largest win was a $556m deal to build the Royal Oman Police’s new hospital in Muscat. The majority of the rest of the firm’s awards during 2014 were for road works across the sultanate. It also secured a small order for civil construction work on the Khazzan tight gas scheme.

Bahrain, like Qatar, was led by a foreign contractor, with Abu Dhabi-based National Marine Dredging Company winning $236m of new work. The contractor topped the list with just one contract award for dredging and reclamation work on the East Sitra housing development.

Bahrain work

An Abu Dhabi-based construction company could also be on top in Bahrain in 2015. One of the largest projects that is due to be tendered is the main construction contract for the expansion of Bahrain International airport. UAE-based firms are expected to feature heavily in the shortlist as the development is being financed by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development.

The airport project involves the construction of a 170,000-sq-m terminal building that, when completed, is expected to increase the airport’s capacity to 13.5 million passengers a year.