AL BAWANI has entered the big league. Over the past two years, following a significant investment in its resources, the company has raised its profile in the construction contracting business to take on some of the big projects in the kingdom.

These include mega projects at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh, where it is currently involved in building the King Abdullah Cancer and Liver Diseases under a contract valued at SR1.15 billion ($306.67 million), the centre for Private Wing and Emergency Centre under a contract valued at SR550 million ($146.67 million), and a number of other projects.

Al Bawani is also involved in the landmark Information Technology and Communications Complex (ITCC), also in Riyadh, under a SR1.69-billion ($450 million) contract for 17 building parcels.

“While we initially started off at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital with projects ranging from SR100 million to SR200 million ($26.67 million to $53.3 million) in value, we are now being called upon to provide our services for the mega developments being undertaken at this prestigious medical facility,” Wissam Al Shawaf, executive manager, tells Gulf Construction.

North Tower at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh ... multi-million-dollar projects.

Al Bawani started work on the Cancer Centre in February 2011 and is scheduled to complete it in 2014, within 34 months. The company is providing the entire gamut of construction and mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) services, excluding the moveable medical equipment, he says.

The 300-bed cancer facility, with an area of 86,000 sq m, will be housed in a 20-storey building and will have a capacity of 206 beds for cancer patients, 32 for intensive care, and 43 for liver disease patients. Designed by Canon Design of the US, it will also have eight hospitalisation sections and 22 units for one-day surgeries.

Featuring a radiology-treatment section with the latest equipment, the centre will have 18 outpatient clinics for cancer, 18 clinics for bone marrow transplants and blood diseases, 14 clinics for liver diseases, and 12 surgery clinics and other clinics for different specialties. The centre will also involve medical back-up services including physiotherapy, dentistry, blood bank and laboratories.

A central plants building with an area of 12,700 sq m is also under construction, which will house all the electrical and mechanical plant for the projects.

“We are currently working on level 18 of the 20-storey Cancer Centre building, which is connected to the central plants building by a 600-m services tunnel,” says Shawaf. “We have also completed 25 per cent of the work on the services tunnel.”

Al Bawani has just taken over the site for the Private Wing and Emergency Building at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital early last month and is expected to complete the project in 30 months. It includes an outpatient clinic, inpatient beds, emergency building, VIP clinic and inpatient bed wing, helipad and car-parking.

Commenting on some of the challenges of working on the King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Shawaf says: “Among the most daunting tasks on the project is the re-routing of the utilities services in the existing hospital which has to remain fully functional. For instance, when rerouting the high-voltage systems we are allowed a window of a mere one to two hours to reroute and tie-in with the existing facilities. This aspect of the project has required extensive study to ensure there is no disruption to the operation of the hospital and it has required us in certain instances to construct new lift stations, new transformers etc.”

King Faisal Specialist Hospital was built some 20 years ago and although some systems were upgraded a few years ago, Al Bawani has to ensure the compatibility of the systems.

Other projects in which the company is working on at the hospital include the North Tower, valued at SR117 million ($31.2 million) which is close to completion, operating rooms and the Central Sterile Supplies Department (CSSD), valued at SR132 million ($35.2 million).

To ensure that it meets the deadlines on these projects, Al Bawani has allocated more than half of its current manpower resources – 2,000 of a total force of 3,500 – to the hospital development.

An aspect of Al Bawani’s business ethos is not to subcontract work and this means the logistics of organising the entire logistics and project management falls squarely on the company’s shoulders, Meanwhile, Al Bawani took delivery of the ITCC site at the end of July last year and has completed the backfilling and substructural work and is currently engaged in the structural works on the Public Pensions Agency (PPA) project. It comprises five knowledge business centres, two research and development centres, three IT industries, two office buildings and a restaurant.

One of the most striking aspects of this Zuhair Fayez-designed project is the external facades of the various buildings.

Other projects in Saudi Arabia include the headquarters for the Saudi Commission of Health Facilities and a number of offices and showrooms in Dammam, and a girls university college for the Royal Commission of Jubail and Yanbu.

The Information Technology and Communications Complex, Riyadh ... work speeding ahead.

Commenting on the company’s performance over the past year, Shawaf says: “2011 was an excellent year during which we saw our turnover double. We expect to see a further 30 per cent increase in turnover this year and a similar performance in 2013.”

Al Bawani’s successful performance over the past year or so can be attributed to a strategic decision to expand all its activities to enable it to take on mega projects. This has entailed injecting foreign expertise into its design and engineering department, which Shawaf considers to be a crucial factor in ensuring its competitive edge by keeping pace with the state of the art, particularly in sectors such as healthcare.

The company has also upgraded its operations in terms of project management, quality control and assurance, procurement and safety. This apart, it has equipped itself with the latest lifting, transportation and other equipment over the past year.

As part of its business strategy for the future, Al Bawani intends to continue to focus on its existing client base, which includes the King Faisal Specialist Hospital, which plans to build a new hospital in Jeddah as well as a paediatric hospital within its complex in Riyadh; the PPA; the National Guard; and the Ministry of Health.

Al Shawaf

It also plans to diversify its activities to include other sectors, such as specialist structures involving steel and airfield services – for instance it is currently bidding for the skywalk bridge within the King Abdullah Financial District and premises for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Riyadh, which features a complex facade.

In addition, Al Bawani plans to explore opportunities afforded by new clients.

The company is also looking at spreading its wings, having recently clinched a design-and-build deal for the Kazakhstan Embassy building in Abu Dhabi, UAE, worth SR41.25 million ($11.0 million), having previously undertaken the construction of the Kazakhstan Embassy complex in Riyadh and a consulate in Abu Dhabi. Following this important win, Al Bawani has recently relaunched its branch office in the Emirates.

Commenting on its local market, he says: “The Saudi market has been booming over the past two to three years, especially in the healthcare, education, infrastructure and social housing sectors and I expect the construction sector to maintain its stability over 2012-13.

“In fact, the Saudi construction market is probably the best in the world and derives benefits from a global spread of expertise,” says Shawaf, who has been spearheading the growth of the company since it launched operations in 1990.

The Class One Saudi construction company is capable of executing turnkey projects to the satisfaction of clients. While it has primarily concentrated on the Saudi market for the past 20 years, it has been selectively active in the Middle East region as well for five years now.

The company is characterised by its strong design and engineering expertise, which has earned it a reputation for the quality of its engineering work. “We are probably the best in this respect,” Shawaf claims.

The Kazakhstan Embassy, Abu Dhabi ... $11-million design-and-build deal.

Al Bawani also enjoys a strong financial position and a professional and loyal workforce.

With a team of dynamic and well-trained staff having vast experience in the field of construction, the firm offers a number of services, such as preconstruction consulting, project management, design-build, general construction, programme management, construction management, design-build/finance, and building maintenance.

Al Bawani is ISO 9001:2008 certified for its quality management system and applies international standards and modern technologies in the field of construction.