Future Projects Forum

Future Projects Forum is an annual forum and one of the initiatives of the Saudi Contractor Authority. It serves as a platform for showcasing future projects. The first edition was organized by the authority in 2019. The estimated value of the projects in the five editions of the annual forum reached around SAR4 trillion. The forum aims to bring together project owners from government and private sectors, contractors, and interested parties in one place and at one time to create new opportunities by getting to know the details of future projects in the contracting sector, their qualification mechanisms, and competition.

Saudi Contractor Authority organized the first edition of the Future Projects Forum from 26-27 February 2019 in Riyadh, with the participation of around six hundred businesses with an estimated value of over SAR450 billion. The forum involved twenty-three public and private entities, as well as over one thousand contractors and stakeholders in the contracting sector. The attendance rate of foreign companies was seven percent.

The planning and preparation for the Future Projects Forum came as an implementation of the responsibilities assigned to the Saudi Contractors Authority through its organization by the Council of Ministers' decision No. 510 on September 7, 2015, which aims to develop the contracting sector and elevate the workforce. The forum contributes to building a professional network of decision-makers, developing the construction sector, and exploring new investment opportunities by improving plans and decisions, expanding knowledge, and obtaining direct solutions from entities and sector employees.

The second edition of the Future Projects Forum in 2020 witnessed the participation of thirty-four government and private entities. The forum took place in Riyadh from 25-26 February 2020.

Participants presented 850 projects valued at SAR850 billion, with the attendance of over two thousand contractors and stakeholders in the contracting sector. The attendance rate of foreign companies was 15 percent.

The projects presented by the participating entities in the forum varied, including oil and gas projects, petrochemicals, energy and electricity, infrastructure, housing, mining, and O&M (operations and maintenance) projects.

Saudi Contractors Authority launched the third edition of the Future Projects Forum for 2021 in a virtual format from 22-24 March. More than thirty-nine government and private entities participated, presenting over a thousand projects with a value exceeding SAR850 billion. The forum witnessed the attendance of around ten thousand contractors and stakeholders in the contracting sector, with a 12 percent attendance rate of foreign companies.

The 2021 edition of the forum showcased major projects in several sectors, including oil and gas, petrochemicals, infrastructure, housing, energy and electricity, mining, and O&M.

Saudi Contractors Authority held the fourth edition of the Future Projects Forum from 20-22 March 2022 in Riyadh. It featured around 3,700 projects with a total value of approximately SAR850 billion, involving the participation of thirty-nine entities from both the government and private sectors. More than three thousand stakeholders and specialists from contractors, project owners, government agencies, banks, financial companies, insurance companies, suppliers, research centers, and investors attended the event.

The fourth edition included the launch of Excellence Awards, showcasing small and medium enterprises (SMEs,) and highlighting projects aligned with Saudi Vision 2030. Various sectors were covered, including oil and gas, petrochemicals, infrastructure, energy, electricity, housing, mining, and O&M projects.

In the fourth edition, the Saudi Contractors Authority introduced Excellence Awards in the contracting sector, divided into two categories. The first category included five awards for Best Contractor, Best Factory, Best Project, Best Entrepreneur (male or female,) and the Innovation Award. The second category comprised awards for the Authority's services, recognizing the top beneficiaries of model contracts, the Consultancy Services Award, and the award for the most successful participants in the academic programs.

Saudi Contractors Authority organized the fifth edition of the Future Projects Forum for 2023, held from 22-23 May. The forum was attended by around three thousand contractors and stakeholders from sixteen countries, with the participation of forty-three government and private entities. It showcased details and developments of more than three thousand future projects, estimated to be SAR1 trillion. During the forum, the Authority launched the Scavo Platform, which assists contractors and interested parties in tracking and searching for construction projects in the Kingdom and the Middle East.

The fifth edition of the forum witnessed diverse international participation, with 25 percent of the total attendance coming from outside Saudi Arabia. The participating countries varied, including the Russian Federation, the United States, some European countries, and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.