US-based KBR announced that its Saudi joint venture engineering operation with Azmi Abdulhadi & Abdulla al-Moaibed Consulting Engineering Company (AMCDE) has signed an amendment to extend its existing general engineering services plus (GES+) contract with Saudi Aramco.

KBR says that under the terms of the contract it will provide front-end engineering design (FEED), detailed design, material procurement, and project management services (PMS) to support Saudi Aramco’s capital programmes in Saudi Arabia.

This amendment will extend the contract from an initial five years for a further five years with options for additional extensions.

The contract will be executed by KBR-AMCDE using resources located within its Saudi Arabia offices and focus on the development and utilisation of local talent throughout the execution phases.

Consultants are also competing to form a joint-venture project management company with Aramco.

The shortlisted firms are:

• Dar al-Handasah (Lebanon)
• Faithful + Gould (UK)
• Jacobs (US)
• SNC Lavalin (Canada)

Aramco is expected to form the new project management entity by the end of the first quarter next year. It will target government infrastructure projects planned for the kingdom over the next decade.

It will sell its services to other government bodies in Saudi Arabia that are developing infrastructure. A strong emphasis will be given to employing local Saudi nationals, which is one of the key goals of the government’s Vision 2030 document.