BAHA — A number of engineers have questioned the signing of an SR5.5 million agreement by the Saudi Council of Engineers with a foreign engineering company to sponsor its conferences and events during 2016, saying it was against the organization’s ethics.
Speaking to Al-Madinah Arabic daily, they also voiced fears that the agreement would force the council to make concessions in favor of the foreign firm at the expense of Saudi engineering consultancy firms and engineers.
“The agreement is a violation of the council’s rules and regulations and professional etiquette. It also goes against the council’s interests,” said one engineer while calling for an emergency meeting of the council’s general assembly to discuss the agreement.
Dr. Bassam Ghilman, vice president of the council, said the allegations raised by some engineers do not deserve any reply. “It’s a simple issue,” he told the newspaper. He asked the daily to contact the council’s president or public relations officer to get an official reply.
Khaled Al-Othman, an architect at Emaar Company, expressed his fears that the agreement could undermine the council’s neutrality. “Common people may not find fault with this accord thinking it was a good idea to increase the council’s revenue,” he added.
Al-Othman, however, did not see any corruption in the incident. However, he urged the council to deal with all engineers and consulting houses fairly and without bias.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, director of projects at King Abdulaziz University and chairman of the Association of Civil Engineers, said he feared the agreement could open the gateway for giving concessions to the foreign company.
However, Al-Ghamdi praised the council’s efforts in organizing the engineering profession and issuing certificates to engineers and classifying them according to their expertise and experience. “It has also gone a long way in certifying qualified engineers,” he added.
Engineering expert Saud Al-Dalbahy said the council’s president had explained to him that the agreement was just for sponsoring conferences and other events and not for any strategic partnership.
“If the agreement was just for sponsorship, then there is nothing to worry and if it was related to any strategic partnership then it’s wrong and unacceptable.”
Mohammed Al-Khashaami, an engineering consultant specialized in strategic plans and project management, said the council does not require any foreign sponsorship for its events as it has more than SR180 million in its fund. “The foreign company had not recognized the council,” he pointed out.
He spoke about ongoing efforts to hold an emergency meeting of the council’s general assembly to discuss the issue and the justifications for signing the agreement.
“The council’s board of directors is appointed by the assembly to protect the interests of engineers and engineering consultancy offices,” he explained.
Al-Madinah contacted Abdul Nasser Al-Abdullatif, spokesman for the council, to get his comment on the issue but did not return several phone calls nor did he respond to text messages. The paper also tried to contact the council’s chairman Dr. Jameel Al-Baqaawi but could not reach him.
