Owners of engineering consultancy offices and contractors are blaming each other for delayed government projects.

The public spat between the two parties took place at a meeting of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) recently. In addition, both sides criticized the government procurement system, saying it was also partly to blame for project delays.

Engineers claimed that contractors were only interested in making profits and have poor technical skills that have led to project delays.

Contractors, in turn, accused the owners of being under the control of consultants, who oversee project implementation. They said projects are poorly designed and project documentation sometimes incomplete.

At the end of the meeting, they agreed to establish a committee to look into differences between contractors and consultants. This committee will be supervised by the Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE) and the RCCI.

The two sides supported the setting up of a council to supervise the entire construction system. Despite their differences, both sides also blamed the government procurement system for delayed projects. They accused the Ministry of Finance of hiring cheap consultants and contractors without taking into consideration technical specifications and other factors.

Contractors said some emerging consultancy offices produce misleading information that affects projects.

Ghazi Al-Abbasi, secretary-general of the SCE, said contractors are victims of inaccurate engineering, and government authorities do not pay consultancy offices that have been awarded projects.

He said government entities undervalue contractors and consultants by paying only a quarter of their actual fees. “What is built on falsehood is false, and we can’t blame the contractor because he has to accept offers. He has no other alternative,” he said.

He said private and government establishments, not contractors, should be held accountable for the failure of projects on their land. This is because government wants to pay cheap fees for its projects. The community blames contractors without knowing the expenses and burdens they have to bear to complete projects.

Al-Abbasi said some contractors exaggerate their prices to complete government projects, but sometimes these astronomical figures are necessary to guarantee quality. These high-priced projects are often susceptible to delays because of poor plans.

“We did all we can to solve the conflict between contractors and consultants, and we decided to form a higher council for construction to end all pending problems. The council will also look into issues and conflicts between contractors, consultants and owners,” said Fahad Al-Hamadi, chairman of the National Committee for Contractors.