EXCLUSIVE: Saudi Transport Ministry seeks firms for project management office

03 April 2018
The office will help regulate and plan the Ministry's capital expenditure projects

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Transport has received prequalification documents from consultants to establish its project management office (PMO).

The Ministry of Transport’s PMO is one of the largest planned by Riyadh and is expected to require more than 300 consultants. The other entities planning PMOs classified as large requiring more than 300 staff are the Ministry of Electricity and Water, Riyadh Municipality, the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Interior.

PMOs are also planned for other transport-related entities such as the General Authority for Civil Aviation (Gaca), Saudi Ports Authority, and Saudi Railways Organisation (SRO).

PMOs are central to Riyadh’s overhaul of the public sector, and will help regulate and plan future capital expenditure projects in the kingdom. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud has been highly critical of past projects that have run over budget, not been completed on time, and failed to effectively support economic growth in the kingdom.

Altogether 50 ministries and government entities will set up a PMO. These offices will fall under the National Project Management Office (NPMO).

In February 2017, US firm Bechtel was appointed to support setting up and operating the NPMO.

Known as Mashroat, it its was formed by the Ministry of Economy and Planning in 2015 and will help Saudi government agencies deliver complex infrastructure projects.

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