Amid complaints of unpaid bills, Qatar plans to award some 30 major road building projects worth $27.5 billion (QR100bn) to construction companies this year, reports business news website MEED. 

That’s multiples times the amount spent last year when contracts were awarded for two major projects – the Doha Expressway and the Lusail Expressway, which cost some $640 million and $961 million respectively. 

This year, MEED estimates that spending will increase dramatically as Qatar ramps up construction ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

MEED will hold its Qatar Projects Conference in Doha next month, during which delegates are planning to discuss ways to drive down the cost of projects, including the amount of money spent on materials and manpower. 

Unpaid bills

Last year, recruiters accused Qatar and other GCC countries of not paying enough for skilled and unskilled workers in the construction industry, causing a manpower shortage.

And just two weeks ago, UK-based Building Design magazine reported that many construction companies operating in Qatar are finding their invoices are going unpaid for lengthy periods, fomenting ill-feeling in the industry. 

The magazine quoted one firm as saying that it had been struggling to be paid for $32.5 million of costs associated with changes made to its work on the Msheireb project.

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo by Richard Messenger