Awards honor for SR 23 bn Saudi projects

The 2013 MEED Quality Awards for Projects, in association with Ernst & Young, announced the Saudi Arabia national winners of the only GCC-wide awards program that recognizes completed quality projects.
Six of the country’s highest quality projects, valued at over SR 23 billion, have been declared national winners. These projects were short-listed by an esteemed panel of judges, all respected experts in the projects industry, on the basis of their economic, social and environmental impact, as well as innovations and achievements in design, engineering and construction.
This year’s Saudi national winners include the Development of King Abdul Aziz Endowment Project (Makkah) owned the Saudi Binladin Group, which will compete in two categories — the GCC Leisure and Tourism Project of the Year and the GCC Social Project of the Year; the Maaden Ammonia Plant Project owned Maaden (nominated by Samsung Engineering), which will vie for the Mashreq Oil & Gas Project of the Year award; and the Information Technology and Communications Complex owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Pensions Agency (nominated by Drake and Scull International), which qualifies for the GCC Social Project of the Year category.
The King Saud University (KSU) Girls Campus Project, owned by the King Saud University (nominated by Schneider Electric Saudi Arabia), was also named one of the national winners and is now short-listed for the GCC Sustainable Project of the Year award; and the Dhahran Sports Facility owned by Saudi Aramco (nominated by Shade Corporation), which is in contention for the GCC Small Project of the Year award.
“The GCC’s rapid progression demands high integrity and constant innovation, as projects play a crucial role throughout the region. Despite the growing competitiveness of project excellence, this has been strongly reflected within the competing projects. It is our great pleasure to congratulate the winners for their distinguished accomplishments and outstanding results,” said Abraham Akkawi, partner and head of infrastructure and PPP Advisory Services, MENA, Ernst & Young.
The Kingdom’s national winners were also selected from projects completed in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE. “The National Winners of all the GCC countries deserve the highest commendations for completing projects, which will have a tremendous impact on the continued development of the region,” said Edmund O’Sullivan, chairman of the judging panel.
GCC winners will be announced at the annual MEED Quality Awards for Projects, in association with Ernst & Young on May 14 in the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi.