SAUDI Aramco will begin building 11 new state-of-the-art stadiums in January 2015. The new stadiums will be implemented in much the same way the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah was built, an official statement says. Saudi Aramco sources say the 11 stadiums would be completed within two years and no later than 2017.

Saudi Aramco has assured Saudi contractors that they would be given an opportunity to participate in the project to build 11 major stadiums in various parts of the kingdom.

Motaz Al Mashouq, a senior Aramco executive says chances are open for all contractors to participate in the project. The projects implemented last year in the construction sector under the supervision of Saudi Aramco and executed by national contractors amounted to more than SR23 billion ($6.1 billion), he says.

The areas in which national firms can compete for work has been specified and Aramco has invited them to register their companies’ data on the designated website in order to test their competence and potential.

About 800 people, including more than 350 Saudi contractors, participated in a meeting held by Saudi Aramco at the Asharqia Chamber to present the requirements of the project.

Al Mowalad says planning and initial designs will take between 3 and 6 months while the implementation phase will take 18 to 21 months. The construction process for the 11 stadiums will run simultaneously.

Ibrahim Al Mowalad, project engineer at Saudi Aramco, confirms that work offers are available for all contracting companies that can carry out basic projects such as mechanical work, electrical works, sewage networks and civil work.

In addition, there will be offers for contractors who work with low-voltage systems, as also for contractors for fencing and steel structures, interior designs, asphalting works, turfing works and soli testing, infrastructure, temporary facilities, staff housing and security and safety services during the work on the project, he adds.

Each of the 11 stadiums will accommodate about 45,000 spectators. National contractors will have a pivotal role in the construction process, says the National Committee for Contractors in Saudi Arabia.

King Abdullah has authorised Saudi Aramco to build the 11 stadiums, each with a capacity to accommodate 45,000 spectators. Aramco has won the king’s confidence after it successfully carried out a number of vital projects, including the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal and the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.

The Saudi Council of Engineers protested Aramco’s move to contract foreign consulting houses to design the stadiums by ignoring local consulting firms. “Saudi architects should have a role in building their country’s stadiums,” says Hamad Al Shaqawi, president of the organisation.

“At least 200 Saudi engineers should benefit from these projects,” Al Shaqawi says. King Abdullah opened the sports city in Jeddah, which is an impressive landmark on the Jeddah-Madinah Expressway, on May 1. The opening ceremony witnessed the finale of King’s Cup football tournament. Located about 50 km from Jeddah, King Abdullah Sports City boasts the latest in large-venue technology.

Meanwhile, given a year to deliver a facility in alignment with King Abdullah’s vision of the transformative power of sport in the kingdom’s youth, Saudi Aramco answered the call with a state-of-the-art stadium.