UK’s Atkins wins advisory contract for Saudi sanitation projects

Saudi Arabia’s National Water Co. (NWC) has awarded London-based Atkins an advisory services contract as part of a consortium to provide sanitation services under the public-private partnership (PPP) model across the Kingdom, the company said in a statement.

The consortium is led by Japan’s Mizuho Bank and supported by legal consultant White & Case.

No details were provided about the deal’s value.

Under the contract, the consulting firm will provide advice on public-private collaboration and insights on the technical requirements, including conceptual design of the wastewater treatment facilities, environmental impact review and guidance, or procurement and bid evaluation support.

The projects – which represent NWC’s first privatization move - include the sanitation stations of Jeddah, Dammam, and the network of Turaif, Arar, and Sakakah.

They will be developed using the Build-Operate-Transfer/Build-Operate-Own (BOT/BOO) model to finance the construction of wastewater treatment facilities, where private funds are used to construct and commercially operate a facility before ownership is transferred to a public entity.