The 2026 edition of the Value Engineering Summit took place on 6 May at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Dubai and recorded an attendance of over 240 professionals from the built environment, the editorial team at Middle East Consultant confirmed.
“Despite regional uncertainty yesterday’s Value Engineering Summit was a resounding success, with positive feedback from delegates, speakers and sponsors. I couldn’t be happier with how the day panned out,” said Jason Saundalkar Editorial Director, Built Environment and Heavy Industry Divisions at CPI Trade Media.
“We had fantastic speakers who engaged in vibrant discussions around several incredibly topical issues, and I sincerely hope that everyone who attended came away enriched in terms of knowledge and a larger professional network,” he added.
The day-long event kicked off at 9am with registrations and featured 3-panel discussions, as well as 2-presenations. Tim Shelton, Operations Director – Technology & Advisory at Omnium International Limited served as the event’s MC.
The first panel discussion ‘The Right Partners to Drive True Project Value’ discussed a number of issues including: Dubai’s new law on building quality and safety and what it means for developers and construction companies going forward; the value and niche expertise specialist firms and especially those that are focused on delivering certain types of projects can bring to the table; the pros and cons of working with multi-disciplinary firms to deliver construction projects in the GCC region, and how mindsets be shifted from ‘how inexpensive’ to ‘how intelligently’ a project can be delivered through design optimisation, material substitution etc.
The session was moderated by Nicky Dobreanu, Board Member, Middle East and Africa World Regional Board (MEA WRB) at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). He was joined by speakers including: Allison Wicks, Quality Integration Specialist at Qualitaz Management Consultants; Lewis Matheson, Associate Director at Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB); Manika Dhama, Partner – Real Estate Advisory at Deloitte Middle East; Paul Kelly, Managing Director at C-Quest, and Roxy Reynolds, Managing Director at OVAL.
The first presentation of the day ‘Smart contracting – Enhancing competitiveness in a highly demanding market’ was presented by Gabriel Hebert, Business Development Manager at Engineering Contracting Company (ECC). His session explored the practical approaches to enhancing competitiveness and was structured into 2 key parts: Pre-contract: From design & pricing to award – the value engineering process and Post-contract: Driving time, cost, quality, and environmental performances during project delivery.
The second panel ‘Technology & Industrialised Construction, a Game Changer?’ examined common quality issues across building projects in the GCC/Middle East region, and why this issue continues to persist; delivering fast-tracked projects efficiently using technology such as AI-enabled BIM models and advanced digital twins; leveraging industrialised construction processes/techniques such as pre-fabrication, modular construction, and 3D printing to accelerate project timelines, reduce cost and enhance quality, and the common challenges associated with leveraging technology (out-of-date hardware or software, lack of understanding etc), and industrialised construction (limited design flexibility, consistent project volume to break even etc) to deliver projects, and how these issues can be addressed effectively, and more.
The session was moderated by Mohammad Hazem Soudan, Operations Lead, Climate Response + ESG Advisory, Strategic Consulting at Jacobs. He was joined by Casey D Rutland, Chief Data & Digital Officer at Property Cortex; Christopher Smeaton, Global Digital Design Director at HBA; Fady Kobersy, Sales Director MENA at RIB Software; Ihab Ramlawi, Co-Founder & Managing Director at DuPod – An AMANA Company; Sabarikrishnan Thirunavukkarasu, Regional Head – Connected Construction at Trimble, and Tim Shelton, Operations Director – Technology & Advisory at Omnium International Limited.
The second presentation ‘Presenting CRUX Insight’s 8th Report: From Insights to Foresight’ was delivered remotely by Nader Emile, Partner at HKA. His session shared an overview of the 8th Annual CRUX Insight report and explored the top 5 causes of claims and disputes globally and in the Middle East. Emile also used his time to demonstrate the CRUX Interactive Dashboard with sector and regional insights, and encouraged delegates to take advantage of the free service via HKA’s website.
Following a 1-hour lunch break, the third panel discussion took place. The ‘Mitigating Disruptions Caused by Extraordinary Circumstances’ session was moderated by Richard Edwin, Partner at HKA Global Limited (Dubai Branch), with speakers including: Benoit Meulewaeter, Director at Accuracy; Kate Blotskaya, Senior Director at FTI Consulting; Kirsten O’Connell, Partner at Allen Overy Shearman Sterling, and Suzannah Fairbairn, Partner at Dentons & Co.
The session delved into the implications of current regional developments on contractual arrangements for projects across the GCC region; force majeure across UAE legal frameworks and what drivers can trigger a force majeure clause when contractual performance is affected?; moving away from adversarial mindsets to a collaborative mentality where parties in the supply chain work to a ‘best for the project’ goal to ensure successful project outcomes during normal- and adverse-times, and much more.
The event was supported by:
Support Partners: DesertBoard, Engineering Contracting Company (ECC), HKA, RIB, PlanRadar and RICS Technology Partner: Trimble
Read more about the 2026 Value Engineering Summit by clicking here.
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