* Reliance on local materials touches 70%
The Qualification of Small-Scale Contractors Initiative (Ta’heel) by the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has resulted in increasing the reliance on locally produced materials in infrastructure projects to 70% during 2016 to 2020, it was announced on Thursday.
Ashghal explained that the share of locally produced basic materials has increased from 38% to 70%. Ta'heel helped the local market earn about QR18.5bn from the budgets of infrastructure projects and buildings during the five-year period.
It is in this context that Ashghal on Thursday signed two new contracts with as many local companies to provide 2,600 decorative lighting poles to enhance the Doha Corniche and Central Doha areas.
The lighting poles reflect the Qatari identity. While those to be installed along Doha Corniche are designed in the form of the palm frond, the poles for the streets of Central Doha are leaf-shaped.
It is expected that the value of locally produced materials will reach QR24.5bn during 2021-2025 to meet the needs of buildings and infrastructure projects.
Ashghal has implemented 51 building projects worth QR6.1bn during the past five years and the share of local products used is about 70%. Ashghal is also planning to implement 43 building projects in the next five years at a total cost of QR4bn.
Through Ta’heel initiative, launched in 2017, Ashghal has so far helped more than 150 local manufacturers to supply materials for Ashghal projects, which were earlier imported. Thus, local manufactures supplied more than 60 basic materials such as lighting poles and fixtures, drainage pipes, signboards, traffic safety elements, electrical cables, irrigation materials, and construction supplies for parks.
