To put a seal on this phenomenon, Qassim Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar has proposed to Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif to blacklist contractors who delay the execution of government projects.
“The defaulting projects and development programs all over the Kingdom must come to an end,” Al-Riyadh newspaper said on Thursday, commenting on the proposal of Prince Faisal.
It said because of the slackness and unjustified delays by contractors, many of the development projects have lost their value and expected benefits.
“The interests of the citizens have been harmed and their movements hindered due to delays in the execution of projects,” the paper said.
Talking to the newspaper, Ibrahim Al-Ghussain, chairman of the lawyers' committee at Qassim Chamber of Commerce and Industry, expressed solid support to the proposal for blacklisting failing contractors.
“There should be a blacklist for big companies with faulty projects which have undermined the interests of others, whether in the public or the private sector,” he said.
Al-Ghussain, however, said the names of default companies could be uplifted from the list once they have corrected their situation and removed the harm on others.
“There are investors who incurred huge losses because their shops and offices were shut with the closure of some streets passing through them for longer than was required,” he recalled.
Al-Ghussain suggested that the defaulting contractors be decided by special committees in each region consisting of representatives of both the public and private sector, legal advisers and technocrats.
Abdul Rahman Al-Mishaiqeeh, member of the Shoura Council, said development projects are linked to financial obligations and so must not be delayed as they will harm the interests of the people.
“Projects such as hospitals, roads, electricity, water, schools and others are vital for the country and the citizens so they should not be delayed,” he said.
Al-Mishaiqeeh suggested that vital projects should only be offered to companies that have enough potential and that are able to implement them on time.
“Subcontracting of projects should be prevented and permitted only under very strict conditions that will guarantee quality and timely execution,” he said.
He also said the contractor who subcontracts projects to another contractor must be held responsible for the delay in the execution of any project.
“Contractors should not be given more than two projects at a time,” he warned.
Al-Mishaiqeeh called for a special agency to evaluate contractors and suggested that small contracting firms should merge into bigger companies capable of implementing projects.
Faisal Al-Khamis, secretary-general of the Qassim Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said in case of subcontracting, the parent company must be held accountable for any delay in implementation.
He strongly supported the idea of having a blacklist for defaulting contractors and said such a list should be created in all provinces of the Kingdom.
