Jacobs Engineering Group said it was won a major programme management services contract from Nesma & Partners for a hospital project in Saudi Arabia.

The contract duration for the Saudi Arabian National Guard Hospital programme is up to three years, including option periods.

Under the terms of the contract, Jacobs will be supporting Nesma & Partners, the general contractor, in managing a programme that involves building five hospitals on four sites in Saudi Arabia: a 300-bed maternity hospital in Riyadh, two 300-bed National Guard hospitals in Qassim and Taif, and a 346-bed children’s hospital and 176-bed neurological hospital on an existing hospital site in Jeddah.

Nesma appointed Jacobs on the project to leverage its extensive global experience managing the design and construction of healthcare facilities, including the hi-tech Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi project it recently managed.

Jacobs is mobilising a number of its healthcare professionals from that project, plus local hires, to work on the hospital programme, said a senior official.

“We are delighted to be working with Nesma & Partners to deliver this important programme to the Saudi Arabian National Guard. With these projects under way, we are committed to continuing to make significant contributions toward increasing and improving healthcare services throughout the region,” said Jacobs Group vice-president Bassim Shebaro.

Nesma CEO Imad Gholmieh said: “We see tremendous opportunities to leverage our construction experience in buildings and infrastructure projects with Jacobs’ PMC capabilities in the region, and are pleased to support this new partnership.”