< Previous20 CONSTRUCTION WEEK APRIL 2021 TOP 50 KSA WWW.CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM The year 2020 was a year of contract awards for Saudi Arabia’s NEOM, which enters the Top 50 Construction Firms list at number 18. Headed by the CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr, NEOM is a $500bn-worth futuristic development, located in the northwest of the Kingdom. In July 2020, NEOM inked a $5bn agreement with Air Products and ACWA Power to build a production facility, which when complete, will be the world’s largest green hydrogen project. Powered by renewable energy, the facility is scheduled to be onstream in 2025 and will supply 650 tonnes per day of carbon-free hydrogen for transportation globally. Later, in August, US-based Bechtel bagged a contract to provide design, construction, and project management services across the development. Another signi cant contract of 2020 for NEOM was with AECOM to design transport and utilities infrastructure for the gigaproject. Meanwhile, 2021, marked the launch of THE LINE, a 170km belt of hyper-connected future communities, without cars and roads and built around nature. The project was unveiled by Crown Prince and Chairman of NEOM’s Board of Directors, HRH Mohammed bin Salman. NEOM 18 Making it into the top 20 is Qiddiya Development Company (QIC) at number 17. The developer of the 366km2 Qiddiya gigaproject — the under- construction capital of entertainment, sports, and the arts in the kingdom — QIC has been chaired by Crown Prince HRH Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. For QIC, 2021 marked the commencement of the design process for the Falcon’s Flight, which is expected to be the signature attraction of Six Flags Qiddiya, a theme park scheduled for opening as part of Phase 1 of the gigaproject. The news came months after Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group was awarded the lead design consultant services contract for the theme park. After heading the company as the founding CEO Michael Reininger was replaced by Philippe Gas, who was appointed as the CEO of QIC in November, last year. Construction Week spoke to Gas following his appointment, and he said that “Qiddiya is a very visible expression of the evolution the country is experiencing”. Gas also referred to Qiddiya as “a project of unprecedented scale and opportunity”. The same month Construction Week also learned from QIC’s Chief Development Of cer, Kareem Shamma that the total value of all construction contracts awarded till November 2020 reached $533.3m (SAR2bn), with 100% of the contracts being awarded to Saudi companies. QIDDIYA INVESTMENT COMPANY (QIC) 17TOP 50 KSA APRIL 2021 CONSTRUCTION WEEK 21 WWW.CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM Backed by the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), AMAALA, an ultra-luxury destination takes the number 19 spot in the list. The 4,155km2 project was incorporated as a stand- alone company in December 2019. The past 12 months saw a number of activities within AMAALA. In March 2020, international architectural firm Denniston was appointed as the master planner for The Island, which is one of AMAALA’s trio of communities. It also appointed HKS Architects as the master planner for Triple Bay and The Coastal Development. Last year AMAALA also awarded construction contracts to a number of Saudi companies including Al- Tamimi Group, HASCO, and Saudi Real Estate (Binyah). As part of its evolution into the next phase of construction, former CEO Nicholas Naples handed over the reins to John Pagano who was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of AMAALA in January 2021. Pagano took over the role in addition to his current role as the CEO of The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC). Work on AMAALA continues to progress, as the gigaproject is expected to be delivered ahead of the realisation of Vision 2030. AMAALA 19 ROYAL COMMISSION OF AL-ULA (RCU) 20 The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) was established to protect and safeguard AlUla, located in the Northwest of Saudi Arabia. As part of its strategic roadmap to 2035, RCU plans to engage the local community and contribute $32bn (SAR120bn) towards the growth of the Kingdom’s GDP by 2035. In August 2020, RCU joined hands with global hotel brand Accor to extend the Ashar Resort under the Banyan Tree brand. The extension will comprise 47 new units added, which will bring the resort’s total number up to 82 high-end villas, along with a luxury spa and several gourmet restaurants. Last year also saw RCU unveil the design of its upcoming luxury resort, Sharaan by Jean Nouvel that will be built inside the rock dwellings of the Sharaan Nature Reserve. The designs draw inspiration from the nearby Nabataean wonders of Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s rst UNESCO World Heritage Site. For RCU, 2021 marks the opening of the AlUla International Airport after having completed expansion works, following approval from the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). 22 CONSTRUCTION WEEK APRIL 2021 POWER 100 WWW.CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM Entering the Top 50 Construction Firms list at number 22 is Saudi Arabia Stock Market-listed (Tadawul) real estate development and management company, Emaar, The Economic City (ECC), which is primarily focusing on the planning and development of King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). Emaar EC has been headed by Dubai Financial Market- listed (DFM) Emaar Properties and several other investors from Saudi Arabia. In September 2020, Emaar EC entered into a share subscription agreement that was signed between several limited companies including Dayim Modern Real Estate Management Company, ME Royal Capital, ME Partners Capital, ME Strategic Investments, ME Holdings, Emaar Middle East, and the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). Since the beginning of 2021, Emaar EC has had a major shake-up within its Executive Management and Board. The company appointed Board Member Ahmed Yousef Boshnak as Managing Director of the company effective 12 January 2021 for a period of six months that can be extended for a similar period. Meanwhile, in January, Ahmed bin Ibrahim Linjawi resigned as the CEO of the company. EMAAR, THE ECONOMIC CITY (KAEC) 22 In August 2020, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF), launched ROSHN, a real estate company which will specialise in developing integrated urban neighbourhoods containing residential communities with modern standards across the Kingdom. Following its launch, the company — spearhead by David Grover as the CEO — announced its highly anticipated Riyadh community, which is spread across 20km2 in November 2020. The megaproject comprises more than 30,000 homes, and is the rst community development to be announced by ROSHN as part of its 10-year mandate to develop communities across the Kingdom. The communities will provide homes to meet the needs of all Saudi families, offering modern living within a traditional setting. In the same month, ROSHN inked contracts worth $426.6m (SAR1.6bn) for the construction of the community. Saudi Arabia-based contractor Rezaik Abdallah Al- Gedrawy & Co will build part of the 4,000 homes in the community during Phase 1 of construction. Other partners working on the Phase 1, also include Zuheir Ahmad Zahran and Company; Al Akaria Hanmi; Posco E&C; AWJ International; and C1 Company Building. The series of contract awards continued in 2021, as ROSHN inked deals with Shapoorji Pallonji Mideast and Siemens to support the development of Phase 1 of the community under $506.5m (SAR1.9bn) worth contracts. ROSHN 21TOP 50 KSA APRIL 2021 CONSTRUCTION WEEK 23 WWW.CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM Making it to number 23 spot in the Top 50 Construction Firms list is Tadawul-listed Jabal Omar Development Company (JODC), the developer of Jabal Omar, which comprises 40 towers, with a total built-up area of approximately 2 million m2. The Jabal Omar project will include a variety of five and four star hotels, and will have a capacity to host up to 36,000 guests annually, in excess of 100,000 visitors during Hajj season. In March 2021, JODC — which appointed Zeyad Othman Alhekail as its Chairman in February 2020 — signed a Guarantee Issuance Agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, acting through the Ministry of Finance (MOF), whereby MOF issued a guarantee to Banque Saudi Fransi for the purpose of providing the company with credit facilities amounting to $426.6m (SAR1.6bn). The credit facilities were issued for a period of 15 years from the date of signing the agreement, which was 8 March 2021. In April 2020, JODC temporarily suspended all development work at the Jabal Omar project in the Kingdom in light of the global spread of COVID-19 pandemic. JABAL OMAR DVELOPMENT COMPANY (JODC) 23 AL RASHID TRADING & CONTRACTING COMPANY (RTCC) 24 Al Rashid Trading & Contracting Company (RTCC) was established in 1957 and has since been associated with several projects in the Kingdom. Making it to the list at number 24, RTCC has worked with the likes of Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Education, Ministry of Interior (MOI), Ministry of Water & Electricity, Saudi Railway (SAR), Ministry of Finance, and Public Investment Fund (PIF). The contractor has worked on residential and commercial buildings, medical centres, college campuses, water transmission projects, pipelines and re nement. Headquartered in Riyadh, RTCC has been working on the Shuqaiq 1 desalination plant on the Red Sea coast, along with Spain’s ACCIONA, under a design and construction contract worth $384m, which was awarded by Saudi Arabia’s Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) in December 2020. RTCC has in the past worked with ACCIONA on a $613.5m (SAR2.3bn) contract for the construction of a seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant that has a capacity of 600,000m3 per day for SWCC. The project is part of Al Khobar SWRO desalination plant’s Phase 2 in Al Khobar, and is due to complete in Q4 2021.24 CONSTRUCTION WEEK APRIL 2021 TOP 50 KSA WWW.CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM The National Centre for Building and Construction Technology (NCBCT) is at the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), which is both the Saudi Arabian national science agency and its national laboratories. Supporting the Kingdom’s National Research, Development, and Innovation Strategy, NCBCT has been supporting KACST in implementing its national plan for science, innovation, and technology. Last year in September, Construction Week hosted Bandar Alkahlan, the director of NCBCT at the virtual Leaders in Construction KSA 2020 conference. Alkahlan, who has earned a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and Building Technology from King Saud University (KSU) in Riyadh and a Master of Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) in Los Angeles, spoke about how the pandemic opened [the industry’s] eyes to focus on how stakeholders could bene t from the implementation of modular construction. Speaking at the conference about the material availability for pre-fabrication, Al Kahlan, said: “There is no limitation of materials available internally.” He stressed that modular construction also enabled the industry to think about how it could prepare for the future. THE NATIONAL CENTRE FOR BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY (NCBCT) 26 Chaired by Sheikh Tariq Al Tamimi, Saudi Arabia’s Tamimi Group is placed at number 25 on the Top 50 KSA Construction Firms list. The company was established in 1977 and since then has been active through several business verticals, including operations and maintenance, temporary facility construction, and facilities management among others. In October 2020, Saudi Arabia’s 3,800km2 AMAALA gigaproject awarded Tamimi Global Co. Ltd. (TAFGA) the design and build contract for the construction of the rst stage of the AMAALA Construction Village. The rm’s revenue expectations are expected to hit $1.2bn (AED 4.4bn) for 2020 despite the economic uncertainty that COVID-19 has brought to the market. The contract also includes the second and third stages of civil and infrastructure works for the village. Each stage will address the needs of 5,184 future residents at AMAALA, and upon completion will cater to a total occupancy of 15,552 residents. The company is also working with Saudi Arabian Trading & Construction Co (SATCO) on the build and operate contract for the Construction Village within $500bn (SAR1.9tn) NEOM futuristic city. Upon completion the village will house 30,000 workers. According to NEOM, the worker village will be built in line “with the best IFC [and] World Bank standards to offer the best living environment”. TAMIMI GROUP 25 TOP 50 KSA APRIL 2021 CONSTRUCTION WEEK 25 WWW.CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM With more than 30 years of experience, Saudi Pan Kingdom Company (SAPAC), which enters the Top 50 Construction Firms list at number 27, specialises in buildings, roads, bridges, tunnels, water networks, sewage works, treatment plants, and micro tunneling. Some of the companies and entities that SAPAC has worked with include NEOM, Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC), Royal Commission for Riyadh City, The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC), AMAALA, Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA), Ministry of Housing, and Saudi Aramco, among others. SAPAC has been involved in engineering, procurement and construction of medium to mega-size projects in both the public and private sectors in the Kingdom for over two decades. Headed by CEO, Saleh bin Salim AlHarbi, SAPAC was awarded the contract to place security fencing around the premises of the Qiddiya gigaproject, in February 2020. SAPAC’s scope included working on 440,000m2 of site clearing 20km of security fencing, 23km of cable barriers, and one million cubic metres of earthworks to be filled, as part of the site preparation process. SAUDI PAN KINGDOM COMPANY (SAPAC) 27 ABDULALI AL-AJMI COMPANY 28 Taking the spot at number 28 on Construction Week’s Top 50 Construction Firms in Saudi Arabia list is AbdulAli Al- Ajmi Company, which was founded in 1980, with its headquarters based in Riyadh. The company has been mainly involved with contracting projects, including the construction and maintenance of roads. It has implemented several megaprojects for various government and semi-government entities and authorities. In February 2020, Abdulali Al-Ajmi Company was contracted by Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC), as it commenced mass grading and site preparation of the 366km2 Qiddiya gigaproject’s two anchor development nodes, the Resort Core and the City Centre. Under a 12-month project period, Abdulali Al-Ajmi Company’s scope of work included the landscaping of 7 million m3 of earth to ensure the site preparation of a combined area of more than 4 million m2. As part of the project, the company — headed by chairman, Ali Abdul Ali Al-Ajmi — moved 500 pieces of major earthmoving equipment to grade and develop the plots, in addition to 4,000 tonnes of steel and 30,000m3 of concrete for storm water management to prepare the area for the next stage of development.26 CONSTRUCTION WEEK APRIL 2021 TOP 50 KSA WWW.CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM Founded as a limited liability company in 1978 by HE late Sheikh Kamal Adham, Freyssinet Saudi Arabia makes it to the Top 50 Construction Firms list, taking the number 30 spot. The company commenced operations in pre-fabricated and pre-stressed concrete eld in the construction sector, later transitioning into general contracting, where it has worked on several contracts, including building complexes, hospitals, industrial projects, commercial centres, bridge construction, and other civil projects. In November 2020, Freyssinet Saudi Arabia was awarded a $293.3m (SAR1.1bn) worth contract in a joint venture with Haif Contracting by Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) for the 366km2 Qiddiya gigaproject. The scope of work included construction of major roads and bridges on the upper plateau of the Qiddiya site. Freyssinet Saudi Arabia has been known for a variety of iconic projects in the Kingdom, which include, Chamber of Commerce, National Commercial Bank Tahlia branch, Business Park at King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), developed by Emaar, The Economic City, Gems World Academy within KAEC, Roshn Mall for Savola Group in Jeddah, Haramain High-Speed Rail Airport East Interchange, as well as Makkah-Madinah Expressway Section 5. FREYSSINET SAUDI ARABIA 30 Entering the list at number 29 is Riyadh- headquartered Haif Contracting, a part of Haif Company, which was founded in 1976 and is spearheaded by Sheikh Haif Bin Mohammed Bin Abboud Al-Qahtani as the President. Haif Contracting has been classi ed by the Classi cation Department at Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Municipalities and Rural Affairs as a pioneering contracting and trading company in the elds of buildings, roads and rock-blasting, water and sewerage, electricals, mechanicals, electronics, landscaping and dam construction. In November 2020, Haif Contracting was awarded a $293.3m (SAR1.1bn) worth contract in a joint venture with Freyssinet Saudi Arabia Co, by Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC), for the 366km2 Qiddiya gigaproject. The scope of work included construction of major roads and bridges on the upper plateau of the Qiddiya site. Among other projects that Haif Contracting has been working on include, road works in Makkah region under Group-10 for the Ministry of Transport; Hejret Laban Sewer Water Network for National Water Company in Riyadh; Grain Silos & Ancillary Facilities for Grain Silos & Flour Mills Organisation in Makkah. Some of the most renowned projects that Haif Contracting has worked on include Jeddah Hilon Hotel, Madinah Hilton Hotel, IPA Housing Complex Phase 1, King Faisal University Research Centre, as well as Lulu Mall in Al Khobar. HAIF CONTRACTING 29TOP 50 KSA APRIL 2021 CONSTRUCTION WEEK 27 WWW.CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM AlFouzan General Construction has focused its efforts on changing the landscape of construction and development in Saudi Arabia since its establishment more than four decades ago. The firm’s key projects include the 1km-tall Jeddah Tower, which was previously known as the Kingdom Tower. In 2019, the company won a contract from Bahrain’s Arabian Gulf University (AGU) to construct King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Academic Medical Centre, a project within the Saudi-funded King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Medical City. The medical city was funded through a $267m (SAR1bn) grant from the late Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.The firm’s other projects include Jeddah Economic City and Public Investment Fund- backed Dar Al Hijra Madinah. Among its completed hospital projects in Saudi Arabia are Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Hospital; King Abdullah Medical City in Makkah; and King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre. Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah Al Fouzan, Chairman of the firm was listed on Construction Week’s Power 100 list in 2019. ALFOUZAN GENERAL CONSTRUCTION 31 RESA GULF SCAFFOLDING (RGS) 32 Placing health and safety, planning and scaffolding performance at the forefront of its operations, Saudi Arabia’s Resa Gulf Scaffolding (RGS) posted an increase in business revenues by 18.7% in 2020, capturing business revenues over the past 12 months, driven by a ‘Fit For Growth’ programme. RGS has been part of major oil and gas construction projects in the Kingdom. Its onshore projects include Wasit Gas Program, Jazan Integrated Gasi cation Combined Cycle Project, and Manifa Plant. Offshore, the company has worked on Karan gas eld and Abu Safa project, as well as Marjan facilities, in the Eastern province. In terms of petro-chemical projects, the company has been involved in Sadara chemical complex’s construction and maintenance and has contributed works towards Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) af iates. The company has been awarded twice by Saudi Aramco; for health and safety and scaffolding performance. To tackle the implications of COVID-19 last year, RGS developed a crisis management plan; camped its scaffolders in locations near sites, carried out health checks of its personnel and ensured social distancing on site. 28 CONSTRUCTION WEEK APRIL 2021 TOP 50 KSA WWW.CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM F ounded in 1989, Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul)- listed Makkah Construction and Development Company is the largest shareholder in Jabal Omar Development Company (JODC), known for its Jabal Omar megaproject on Ibrahim Al-Khalil Street in the Holy City of Makkah. The company recently posted its nancial results on Tadawul for the period ending 15 December 2020. It recorded a revenue of $32.7m (SAR123m) and a total comprehensive income of $110m (SAR414m) for the aforementioned period. The company elected a new board of directors in July 2020. The appointments included Abdulrahman Abdul Qadir Muhammad Fakih - Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ahmed Abdulaziz Suleiman Al-Hamdan, Deputy Chairman, Hamza Muhammad Salih Hamza Ser , Managing Director, Ziad Bassam Mohamed Al-Bassam as Chairman of the Audit Committee, and Siraj Hamza Abdullah Ateeq, General Manager of the company. To cope with the implications of the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis, Makkah Construction and Development Company exempted its tenants from the rental value of commercial stores for a period of six months. MAKKAH CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT COMPANY 34 Cap France BAT (Saudi Arabia) is a contractor that specialises in project management, coordination and export projects procurement. The contracting rm established itself in the Kingdom in 2007, backed by its international foundation in global construction markets, and its experience in construction engineering services. During this period, the rm became known for its ability to assist customers in speci c requirements for design, material supply, engineering, installations, and customise buildings to suit diverse construction projects. The rm specialises in architecture and design; civil and nishing works; engineering; IT and telecommunications; data centre solutions; audio visual solutions; interior design and furniture; hospitals and medical equipment; facilities management; as well as operation and maintenance. Cap France BAT in the Kingdom services Ministry of Interior, Saudi Aramco, Royal Commission for the City of Riyadh, Saudi Electricity Company, and other companies. Among its key projects are the civil expansion of the Shooting Range Campus in Saudi Arabia, which was completed in 24 months, construction of a data centre complex in the capital city of Riyadh, and the King Abdullah Financial District’s (KAFD) Conference Centre. Cap France BAT has also established presence in Beirut and Paris, in addition to the Kingdom. CAP FRANCE BAT (SAUDI ARABIA) 33TOP 50 KSA APRIL 2021 CONSTRUCTION WEEK 29 WWW.CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM Working to develop the 1.2km2 King Abdul Aziz Road project in Makkah, Umm Al Qura for Development & Construction Company is making remarkable strides in changing the infrastructure of the Kingdom. In 2015, Umm Al Qura for Development & Construction Company awarded Saudi contractor Nesma & Partners a $1.75bn (SAR6.7bn) contract to work on the King Abdul Aziz Road project (KAAR). In 2020, Umm Al Qura for Development & Construction Company unveiled Masar, a leisure destination, of which KAAR is a key component; Masar has been planned based on complementary, interrelated foundations, including environmental and urban aspects, and is aimed at improving the quality of life for the people of Makkah. The urban development project will feature 100,000 residential units; 28,000 hotel rooms; commercial and recreational areas; and a mosque upon completion in December 2021. Once complete, the King Abdul Aziz road in Saudi Arabia is expected to provide efficient multimodal transportation to a central pedestrian boulevard accommodating more than 100,000 people travelling to and from the Al-Haram Mosque. UMM AL QURA FOR DEVELOPMENT & CONSTRUCTION COMPANY 35 SAUDI ARABIAN TRADING & CONSTRUCTION COMPANY (SATCO) 36 Established in 1975, Saudi Arabian Trading and Construction Company (SATCO) covers varied sectors including construction, landscaping, catering, airports support services and systems control. Its inception was aligned with the construction boom within the Kingdom. SATCO is an ISO 9001:2015, ISO 10002:2014, ISO 14001:2015 as well as ISO 45001:2018 certi ed company. The company is regarded for its work with Al-Tamimi Group to build and operate the ‘Construction Village’ within the Kingdom’s NEOM gigaproject, housing 30,000 workers. SATCO and Al-Tamimi Group won the contract in 2019. SATCO was appointed to build a single residential area for 10,000 workers within the project, while at Al-Tamimi Group was selected to build two residential clusters for 10,000 workers each. Both SATCO and Al-Tamimi Group will operate the Construction Village for 10 years. SATCO services several companies including Yanbu Petromin Re nery, NEOM, Riyadh Airports Company (RAC), Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Binladin Group, Saudi Aramco, General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), and more.Next >