The assessment of Saudi Arabian contractors' classification system and other worldwide systems

摘要

Research has shown that construction projects in Saudi Arabia have exhibited poor performance for the past three decades. The government's construction in Saudi Arabia relies on the low bid delivery method and prequalified contractors using a contractors' classification system (CCS) run by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (MOMRA). However, the current CCS is perceived to not accurately represent contractors' capabilities and performance and MOMRA aims to develop the current CCS. In this paper, the current CCS will be analysed as a case study through conducting interviews and reviewing internal reports. Furthermore, other worldwide CCSs will be analysed through a literature search in order to compare them with the Saudi CCS. Comparison results show that other worldwide CCS systems are up-to-date, simpler, and more transparent in comparison to the Saudi CCS. However, it is found that all the systems are disconnected from contractors' performances as they do not have a continuous and accurate method of measuring the actual performance of classified contractors.