Key factors for success

Greenhalgh said it was critical that the construction industry be “aware of the challenge that lies ahead.” Essential requirements in this regard were “effective decision-making, having a clear vision, and on top of that a clear definition of roles and responsibilities so everyone understands where we are going.”

Looking briefly at the mega projects underway in Qatar at present, Greenhalgh said that the ambitious roads programme, for example, immediately highlighted such challenges: “If you look at Downtown Doha, the amount of roads that are going to be constructed, you can actually see the problems straightaway, namely construction in an urban fabric that is possibly not as mapped out or as understood as we would like it to be, so I believe the responsive interaction with all stakeholders is going to have to be really effective from day one, so that we manage and integrate traffic management systems, and manage service diversions.”

In terms of the Doha Metro programme, Greenhalgh said “the first five mega packages are being issued probably in the first quarter of 2013.

By the end of this year again we will have all the stations being built, we will have deliveries of materials, we have got spoils to be taken away; this is all going to be done inside an environment where the expressway programme will be undertaken during the same timeframe.”

Greenhalgh argued: “We also need to make sure we future-proof a lot of our major developments like at the New Doha International Airport and at Education City for the eventual arrival of the heavy rail network.

We have also got heavy rail connections to both Saudi Arabia and to Bahrain. We must ensure that whatever we do in the next five to six years does not compromise that long-term view at all, which is essential to the generation of the whole region.

“Obviously we cannot forget that to make this happen, we have got to have a major port facility, which is currently being built at Mesaieed.

Integrating this port into the network is very important. In addition to the port, there is also the Mesaieed Industrial City, which again is going to be a major generator of GDP and income for Qatar, and this needs to be fully integrated into all our plans going forward, and particularly it must have all the necessary connections such as power, water and other requirements.”

Greenhalgh said a lot of attention was also being paid to Qatar’s sewerage network ahead of the World Cup: “Hopefully by 2015 we will be able to deliver this deep sewerage gravity system that will modernise sewage treatment in Qatar.”

With such a range of mega projects underway, Greenhalgh said it was critical “that we as an industry need be able to manage this process effectively,” which requires “information and connectivity.

I do not think we can sit back and blame anyone for not putting systems in place. I think we have to be proactive, and we have to help everybody else make sure we get the information [that is required].”

Greenhalgh commented: “From my perspective, and I am not an expert on the Middle East or on stakeholder management, being in this industry, the most important thing we all need is clarity of roles, responsibilities and where the governance actually sits and how we can get access to the right information at the right time, and who is going to manage the stakeholders.”

Doka Qatar MD Ralf Buerger commented: “In my opinion the most important consideration is thinking about who is the stakeholder.

Our stakeholders are, firstly, our customers, our employees, our suppliers, society in general, the local community and the environment. We actively communicate with all our stakeholders through a wide range of media.”

Maher Chatila, Hyder Consulting country manager for Qatar, said that a lot of the legwork necessary for the World Cup had already been embarked upon.

“I think the main part of the test about collecting information about all the stakeholders has already been done.” As an example, Chatila cited determining the main rail corridor for the Doha Metro, “where we identified 41 different stakeholders. We are definitely not minimising how complex the task will be, but we are not starting from scratch.”

Greenhalgh said: “Yes, government stakeholders are very important, but we should not lose sight of the people affected, and the people we need to attract to do the work … At the moment, bringing skilled personnel to Qatar needs to be addressed. There are a lot mitigation measures we all need to embark upon do to bring the necessary resources to bear.”

A key question is the particular obstacles with regard to interfacing with the various World Cup institutions in Qatar in terms of accelerating the build-up programme.

“Each body fully understands what its vision is and its roles and responsibilities. However, I do not think there is a common understanding of the wide variety of responsibilities of government stakeholders … I know people who have been working here for a long time have got insight into government entities, but I think we need to have better coordination and communication.

“For instance, we can learn from places like Bahrain and its integrated Central Technical Office office that is a one-stop shop for all stakeholder contact with government, and which then finds the most appropriate bodies to deal with … I am not suggesting that should be something taken up here.

What I am saying is that we need more joined-up communication between all parties so everyone understands precisely the roles they are to undertake, and when and how.”

Tim Clark, Obermeyer Middle East programme director, said: “One of the key challenges is going to be how we prioritise projects.

One of the things that will definitely have to happen, as projects like the Doha Metro get underway, is that there is going to have to be logistical preference given to key projects which are fundamental for the delivery of some of the immovable dates such as the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

“I think how we engage with these organisations and how we discuss and plan these projects is going to be quite challenging.

And this is common across the world; it is not just unique to Qatar. But we are all very precious of our own organisations and our own programmes, so when we are asked to move away to another organisation, we typically, by human nature resist … It is going to be very challenging for us to manage that.

“Organisations like the Central Planning Office may want to take up prioritising certain infrastructure projects like the Doha Metro. It is going to be very interesting over the next 24 months.”

Chatila said: “I think the biggest challenge is we have so many projects that are all intersecting, and actually they are layering on top of each other, so even prioritising at this stage is a headache … We have seven years to perform the projects mentioned: expressway, drainage, metro.

So that is basically the challenge. For example, in terms of rerouting services for future underground stations, every utility still has to go through its own authority.

“An engineer from Hyder Consulting will still have to go to his counterpart at Kahramaa and get his approval, and then this scheme will have to be elevated to a technical committee that has been formed, with the power to approve, reject or defer a decision.

If we could not agree on the diversion at the level of this joint technical committee, which comprises Ashghal, Kahramaa and all the other key entities, then it gets elevated to a ministerial level for a decision,” said Chatila.

He added that Ashghal was dealing with a particularly extended project timeframe, which posed its own advantages in terms of overall coordination. “It is a long framework, five years, extendable to seven, so as a consultant we are able to think long-term, give competitive pricing, bring people and their families in for an extended period of time, so it has been very positive.

“From another perspective, this experience has been a success for the client, Ashghal. It does now a method that is not a lump-sum traditional procurement method, and it is working.

As far as stakeholder management, an agreement has been entered into with five major consultants; their CEOs meet with the Ashghal president, and they have a ‘lessons learnt’ session.

The president of Ashghal has taken it upon himself to make it work … he is very focused. He is assured of the determination for success at the highest level of those consultants, and that results will be produced.”

Clark added: “One of the concerns also raised in the market is the late decision-making. I think there are practical benefits of having a framework: better value for money, and the ability to build those long-term relationships but, most importantly, government and organisations can start to build trusting relationships, and then we can start to talk about delegating authority, and we can talk about how to speed up the decision-making process.

So from my perspective I see a clear benefit from entering into frameworks … If you create an environment for collaboration, you become much more efficient.”

“I do believe that collaborative work on ongoing projects is an excellent way forward, because without that collaboration and building trust, you can have a recipe for massive delay and procrastination, both in decision-making and in delivery. So I do believe that outsourcing those skill sets, and particularly where they do not exist within government, is an excellent way forward.”