RIYADH, 22 March 2006 — Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf yesterday stressed the importance of having a clear vision for the oversight of public projects, particularly in light of recent economic prosperity and the Kingdom’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
“The government, under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and the Crown Prince Sultan, has sought to improve the operation and maintenance process of all projects,” said Al-Assaf.
He also pointed out that the government has set up a national commission to study the legislations and evaluation process at government agencies “with the participation of the Saudi Engineering Forum, which, in turn, would formulate the specifications, database and other requirements for the operation and maintenance of various projects.”
This subject was the focus of a forum yesterday at the headquarters of the Institute of Public Administration.
Al-Assaf said he believed that the forum would help to identify all the strengths and weaknesses in the operation and maintenance of government projects, whether it was related to the method of implementation or the governing regulations. For example, the question of when to use contractors versus public employees on a public project was an issue that was discussed.
The first of the three sessions focusing on contract-based commissioning and maintenance of government establishments was headed by Prince Khaled ibn Abdullah ibn Muqrin, deputy minister of education for girls’ education.
The second session chaired by Habib ibn Mustafa Zainel Abideen, undersecretary at the ministry of municipal and rural affairs, discussed the direct commissioning and maintenance at government establishments.
Participants in the seminar represented ministries such as finance, education, health, defense and aviation, water and electricity, Saudi Aramco, Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, King Saud University and the Saudi Council of Chambers and Commerce apart from senior officials of public and private sectors and academicians.
Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Shaqawi, director general of the Institute of Public Administration, emphasized the significance of operation and maintenance in the current phase of the Kingdom’s development.
