Riyadh – Mubasher: The Saudi Council of Engineers has announced the launch of a dispute resolution and arbitration centre in the kingdom.

A professional body for engineers in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Council of Engineers said the new arbitration centre will provide expert arbitrators and oversee the delivery of technical consultations, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported, noting that the centre would also conduct training sessions and courses covering arbitration, engineering disputes, and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.

Saudi Council of Engineers’ board chairman Saad Al-Shahrani further revealed that the centre would act as an independent entity within the organisation and train engineering professionals in the field of arbitration.

Meanwhile, Saudi Council of Engineers secretary general Farhan Al-Shammari said the new arbitration centre would “foster a culture of competent engineering arbitration, serving different sections across ministries, judicial departments, government institutions, corporate firms, public- and private-sector outfits, and workers in the engineering sector,” according to Construction Week Online.

The launch of the arbitration centre comes at a time when the kingdom’s construction sector’s activity heats up. There are currently over 5,000 active projects in the kingdom worth over $819 billion (SAR 3 trillion).

The new centre, which was established under decree no. M/34, will provide arbitration and related support services for the kingdom’s construction sector.