Judging The MEED Quality Awards for Projects

07 February 2011

The MEED Quality Awards for Projects is a new venture for MEED and our approach to it had to reflect our core values of integrity, honesty and transparency

MEED endeavoured to ensure that the awards scheme was representative of the GCC and its expertise, recognising home-grown talent as well as international influence. As part of this approach we wanted to employ experts representing all the countries in the GCC.

Each of the six countries of the GCC has a society or council of engineers and working together with MEED, a robust set of criteria was drawn up reflecting five of the fundamental processes that a project team has to manage. The societies and councils of engineers from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE then appointed judges from within their organisations.

The Five Judging Criteria

Economic & Social Feasibility – Impact on employment and job creation, economic and social benefits

Design & Architecture – Innovation, use of traditional materials or methods, new technologies and sustainability

Engineering – New innovative solutions, methodology, problem solving

Procurement & Programme Management – Supply chain integration, project management, collaboration

Sustainability – Impact on both the local environment and population over time, waste management, international standards, power generation and water reuse

THE SIX MEED AWARDS FOR PROJECTS JUDGES

Abdul Majeed Basheer al-Gassab – Bahrain

A prominent figure in  Bahrain’s engineering and construction industry, Al-Gassab is the general manager of the Bahrain Aviation Fuelling Company and has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wales. He is a member of the National Measurement & Standardisation Committee at the Commerce & Industry Ministry and also acts as the engineering expert for the Committee for Organising Engineering Professional Practices at the Works Ministry. Al-Gassab has been a member of the American Standards Testing of Materials since 1999. He is also a registered arbitrator in Bahrain courts and has been President of the Bahrain Society of Engineers since 2008.

Matar Ali al-Mutairi – Kuwait

Al-Mutairi combines his role as a member of the engineering faculty of Kuwait University with his duties as undersecretary at the Social Affairs & Labour Ministry. After working as a mechanical engineer with state-owned Kuwait National Petroleum Company, Al-Mutairi was appointed supervision and design engineer at the Social Affairs & Labour Ministry. From 2000-04, he was project manager for the South Sabahya Mental Disability Clinic. Al-Mutairi is chairman and head of the construction committee for the Sulibekhat & Doha Cooperative. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree and a doctorate in industrial psychology.

Sulaiman al-Hudhaili – Oman

A successful career with Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) laid the foundations for Al-Hudhaili’s multifaceted role in Oman’s projects sector. He now manages his own consultancy office, advising international clients and also runs a health and safety executive services company.  Al-Hudhaili is a member of the industrial advisory board for the mechanical department in the College of Engineering at Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat. He is also the secretary general of the Oman Society of Engineers. A member of the UK’s Institute of Mechanical Engineers and the Engineering Council, Al-Hudhaili has more than 20 years’ experience in the oil and gas sector.

Ahmad Jassim al-Jolo – Qatar

Al-Jolo has more than 25 years’ experience in the construction industry. He is chairman of the Qatar Society of Engineers and a founding member of the Qatar Green Buildings Council. Al-Jolo is an advisory board member for the civil engineering programme at the College of Engineering at Qatar University. He is also an evaluator for graduate student projects at Texas A&M University in Qatar, where he frequently gives lectures. A former chairman of the Professional Engineers Committee at the Urban Planning & Development Authority, Al-Jolo is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He has a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Seattle University in the US.

Ghazi Mohammed Alahmadi – Saudi Arabia

Alahmadi is secretary general of the Riyadh-headquartered Saudi Council of Engineers. He graduated in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals in Dhahran. In 1997, Alahmadi completed a master’s degree in IT and systems engineering at the University of Strathclyde in the UK.  He also has an executive master’s degree in business administration from King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals. Alahmadi has worked across a variety of sectors, including oil & gas, information technology and communications, banking, defence and real-estate development.

Rashad Bukhash – UAE

Bukhash is the director of the Architectural Heritage Department at Dubai Municipality, responsible for some of the GCC’s most striking restoration projects. He has supervised the conservation of more than 145 historic buildings in Dubai, the UAE and abroad. Bukhash has also supervised the construction of more than 200 modern buildings, universities, colleges and parks, as well as the development of 12 museums in Dubai, including Dubai Museum, Sheikh Saeed al-Maktoum House and the Heritage House. Bukhash has won many awards, including the Rashid Prize for Scientific Excellence 2002, the Champion of Sustainability in Gulf States 2008 and the UAE Excellence Award 2008 in architecture.

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