TEREX Construction has appointed Medco (Middle East Development Company) as the distributor for its construction product line throughout Saudi Arabia. The agreement will enable Medco to supply Terex backhoe loaders, wheel loaders and site dumpers in the kingdom.

JACOBS Engineering Group has been awarded a contract by Idea Soda Ash and Calcium Chloride Company (Isacc) to provide engineering and project management services for the construction of a $300-million facility in Saudi Arabia.

A MANAGEMENT contract to oversee construction projects for the 2022 World Cup tournament to be held in Qatar will be awarded in the first quarter of this year, a senior official said.

ENGINEERING consultancy and support services group WS Atkins has won a three-year contract worth in excess of £70 million ($108 million) from the Qatar Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning to support delivery of its multi-billion-dollar transport and infrastructure programmes.

$10bn projects to be launched QATAR is expected to launch projects worth $10 billion over the next couple of years, a local newspaper reported.

BAHRAIN is to build more than 4,000 affordable homes within three years. The Housing Ministry last month signed a landmark public private partnership (PPP) agreement worth BD208 million ($550 million) with real estate and infrastructure development company Nassej to carry out the project.

NEW infrastructure projects worth BD110 million ($291.7 million) are in the pipeline in Bahrain, said a senior government official, adding that tenders for more than 100 projects are due to be issued shortly. They include 48 tenders for roads worth BD56 million ($148.4 million), 38 for sanitation projects worth BD46 million ($121.

TENDERS for construction projects in Bahrain dropped by more than 80 per cent in 2011 as compared to the previous year, acording to a newspaper report. This is forcing contracting companies to sign on to projects at cost price, the Akhbar Al Khaleej reported.

MWH Global has been appointed by the Public Works Authority of Qatar (Ashghal) to develop an integrated drainage masterplan for Qatar.

QATAR Telecom (Qtel) has signed a major agreement with Al Wa’ab City management that will create a first-of-its-kind communication infrastructure, deploying the most advanced solutions in telecommunications for its major real estate developments.

BOUYGUES Construction, part of French conglomerate Bouygues, is to set up a joint venture in Qatar, which is to host the 2022 Fifa (Federation Internationale de Football Association) World Cup.

KINGDOM Holding Company (KHC) said the construction of its mega real estate project in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has begun. Covering an area of 16 million sq m, Kingdom Riyadh Land will bring promising returns to Kingdom Holding investors, said KHC chairman Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

OMAN’S Ministry of Transport and Communications is setting up an expert panel for a railway project that will link up with the GCC rail network. Transport and Communications Minister Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Futaisi said the panel will comprise engineers specialised in railway construction to steer a project of this size.

THE international division of UK-based roofing and cladding specialist Lakesmere has secured several new contracts in the Middle East valued collectively at nearly $14 million.

SAUDI Arabia can expect a reasonable economic performance in 2012 as its non-oil sector grows and inflation eases, according to a report by Jadwa Investment. Lower oil production will cause total real economic growth to slow, and combined with lower oil prices, will reduce the budget and current account surpluses, the report says.

SIGMA Paints Saudi Arabia has launched a new colour service for professionals that not only makes it easier for them to select the right colours, but also reassures them that their decision is backed by the experts in the field.

TENDERS for the Doha Metro will be issued in the second quarter of this year, following a second delay in tendering the $41-billion rail project, according to Qatar Railways. “It will be in April or May,” group director Ghanim Al Ibrahim said.