* 65% rise in locally made materials used by Ashghal
The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has awarded tender contracts worth QR3bn to local contractors in the last two months and there are plans to award more contracts worth QR7bn before the end of the year, Ashghal president Dr Saad bin Ahmad al-Muhannadi has said.
He also noted that Ashghal was "able to increase the number of Qatari materials by 65% in one year of the blockade, taking the total to 159 materials".
He made the observations while participating in a panel discussion titled "The role of infrastructure in determining export and import competitiveness" at the first International Products Exhibition and Conference (IPEC) in Doha. He talked about Ashghal's key initiatives to involve local companies in its projects and opportunities to participate in implementing them.
Dr al-Muhannadi said contracts worth QR3.5bn would be awarded to local contractors over the next two weeks, while contracts of a similar value would be awarded in November and December, the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported on Tuesday.
This takes the total value of contracts awarded - and slated to be awarded - to local contractors to QR10bn in five months.
Besides Qatari materials, Ashghal also increased the number of Qatari vendors by 63% (total 131) as well as international materials by 21% (total 953) and vendors by 19% (total 764), he informed.
He said a rehabilitation committee was established by Ashghal to adopt local products within a short period of time, and this contributed to the rehabilitation of many new factories. He added that the number of qualified factories reached 84, stressing that all this was done without affecting quality in the implementation of projects, according to QNA.
As confirmation of the quality of the local industry, all the pipes currently used in water and sanitation facilities are produced locally with high-quality specifications, he added.
The exhibition includes four panel discussions on sustainability of economic growth in Qatar, held in collaboration with business partners, initiatives and strategies for Qatar National Vision 2030 and discussing the role of infrastructure in enhancing trade competitiveness, import and export and promoting investment in free zones.
IPEC 2018 concludes on Wednesday.
