The Consortium formed by SUEZ and Al-Awael Modern Contracting Group (AWAEL) with its affiliate Civil Works Company (CWC) has signed with the National Water Company (NWC) the contract for the Management Operation and Maintenance of water services of the Western Cluster, including the major cities of Jeddah, Makkah and Taif in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The total revenues of the 7-years contract is 98 million euros.
The signing ceremony took place today, in the presence of HE Eng. Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al Fadhli, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Water Company.
The contract covers the management of all water and wastewater assets of the region of Jeddah, Makkah and Taif as well as customer and support services. With a total of 8,9 million inhabitants, the specificity of the Western Cluster is to host the worlds’ Islamic capital (Makkah) which is being visited by around 3 million pilgrims and 10 million Omrah visitors yearly.
As part of the Saudi National Water Strategy (NWS 2030), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has embarked upon a process of reform of the water sector by increasing participation of private operators through Public Private Partnerships. The ever-growing demand for high-quality water supply and reliable sanitation as well as the necessity to reduce the cost of urban water and sanitation services are central in the NWS2030.
This first major contract in Saudi Arabia since the takeover marks the beginning of a new collaboration with the Kingdom
SUEZ technical expertise will aim at improving and developing the customer experience as well as raising the operational efficiency, which will help NWC to reduce water losses and to improve the whole management of its network. SUEZ will notably implement its WIKTI® methodology to assess the maturity of the utility and to define a training action plan for the staff to improve its operational performance. In addition, the monitoring of the water network through advanced flow and pressure sensors will help to manage in real time the water supply and the network performance.
This first major contract in Saudi Arabia since the takeover marks the beginning of a new collaboration with the Kingdom. Its duration is 7 years to be followed by a concession contract in which the private sector will take full responsibility for water services.
Engineer Nemer bin Mohammed Al-Shebl, acting CEO of NWC: "One of the most important pillars of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 is the well-being of the citizen and the quality of the services provided to them, from which the National Water Strategy 2030 emerged, through which it adopted the strategy of the National Water Company, which developed detailed plans to upgrade water services in the Kingdom, with the participation of the private sector."
Cyril COURJARET, CEO SUEZ International Businesses: “I am delighted with this new and extended collaboration with the National Water Company after a first and recognized experience with the Management Contract of Jeddah City Business Unit between 2008 and 2017. It illustrates how SUEZ is deeply committed to provide its clients with access to water services, through resilient and innovative solutions over the course of long-term partnerships.”
Abdulrahman Al Rashed, Chairman of Al Awael Contracting Group (AWAEL): “I commend the teams involved in achieving this major milestone and I congratulate SUEZ on the award. The role of local companies is a key driver in achieving real sustainable development with knowledge and capability transfer the means to achieve this end. It is the case of Civil Works Company Ltd., a leading local Company with a national footprint and with over 35 years’ experience in the water sector including waste and sewage treatment, reading itself internally to ensure it is aligned with the needs of its partners and the changing external environment.”