For much of the past decade, the defining question for regional construction has been how quickly projects can be delivered. As Saudi Arabia and the UAE move deeper into their development programmes, another question is becoming increasingly important: how effectively is the capital behind those projects being protected?
For Hamed Aljufairi, VP – Operations at Compass Project Consulting, the next 3 years will be shaped by that shift.
“We have a very strong pipeline, both in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and it is diverse, ranging from infrastructure to buildings,” he says.
The pipeline remains substantial, particularly across projects supporting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 ambitions. But the market is becoming more sophisticated, with investors looking more closely at risk, returns and delivery certainty, while clients demand greater control over what happens on site.
For Compass, that means bringing together project management, construction supervision, geospatial intelligence, asset management and digital technologies.
“Compass has a unique value proposition in the market. We combine international experience with strong local knowledge, and very few firms in Saudi Arabia and the UAE bring both together at our level,” comments Aljufairi.
Compass is Saudi owned, and Aljufairi sees that as the foundation of its proposition. The firm pairs people who have delivered major programmes internationally with teams who understand how projects are procured and built in the Kingdom and the Emirates, and who work closely with the developers and investment funds driving the pipeline.
Risk is changing the investment equation
The outlook for construction remains positive, but the environment is more uncertain. Geopolitical tensions, supply-chain disruption and rising costs are influencing investment decisions, particularly in the private sector.
“We’ve seen investors, especially in the private sector, taking more time to assess risk before committing capital, particularly where supply-chain difficulties could affect a project,” he explains.
At project level, supply-chain pressures are also affecting construction costs.
“On ongoing projects, there are supply-chain issues, especially when projects are in the construction phase. On some packages, we are seeing material prices increase by 20 to 25%,” remarks Aljufairi.
That makes early risk identification increasingly important. Rather than waiting for procurement problems, cost increases or programme delays to emerge during construction, Compass is working with clients earlier in the development cycle to identify exposure and develop mitigation strategies, including alternative procurement and supply routes.
The goal is to ensure investors understand risks before committing capital and have measures in place to manage them.
That represents a broader change in the role of the project consultant: from managing delivery to helping protect the investment behind it.
One of the clearest examples of that change is Compass’s growing focus on construction supervision.
Historically, Aljufairi says, clients were more focused on programme management and high-level project oversight.
“Over the past 8 years, clients were more focused on programme management and PMCs, with an overall view of project progress. Today, they want the same level of control over quality on site,” points out Aljufairi.
The rapid expansion of construction activity has changed that equation. More projects and new contractors entering the market have increased the importance of quality assurance and quality control.
“Nowadays, with the increased number of projects and new contractors coming into the market, quality issues need to be managed. That is why we propose construction supervision to clients, to make sure that quality assurance and quality control on site are properly managed,” he remarks.
For owners and investors, the logic is straightforward: a project delivered on schedule and within budget has limited value if the completed asset does not meet the required standard.
“Our advice to clients is to build construction supervision into the delivery model alongside project management and construction management.”
The traditional balance of time, cost and quality is therefore being brought back to the centre of project delivery.
“Why do you manage your schedule? Why do you manage your cost? You also need to manage quality and make sure that the design intent established during the design stages is delivered on site,” explains Aljufairi.
That is particularly important for investment funds, where the asset is ultimately expected to generate a financial return.
Compass works with investment funds and financial institutions in Saudi Arabia, providing client representation alongside PMC and supervision services.
“One of the values that Compass brings to the market is that we are very close to investment funds and have significant experience working with them,” says Aljufairi.
The role is to ensure that developers, consultants and designers remain aligned with the investor’s objectives.
“Our role as a client representative is to make sure that the developer, consultants and designers are achieving exactly what the client is looking for.”
For investors, one of the most important variables is time.
“For capital funds, time is everything. They want to build as quickly as possible so that they can generate a return on investment,” he states.
Compressing the programme can bring an asset into operation sooner, but accelerating delivery without adequate controls can increase quality and execution risks.
“So the biggest risk I see is the schedule. Our role is to find ways of shortening the schedule so that the project becomes operational as quickly as possible without compromising quality.”
The emerging model is therefore less about choosing between speed and quality and more about using better information, planning and technology to achieve both.
From reactive management to early warning
That philosophy is reflected in Compass’s approach to risk management, with proactive procedures focused on quality, time and cost.
Early-warning indicators are used to identify emerging issues before they develop into major problems.
“At Compass, we have very proactive risk-management procedures and systems. At an early stage, we have early-warning indicators covering the three main pillars: quality, timeline and cost,” says Aljufairi.
Understanding the critical path is particularly important. A delay to a critical activity can quickly cascade through an entire programme.
“At the early stage of the programme, we know what the critical path is. If there are any issues affecting the critical path, the whole programme is going to be delayed,” he continues.
Technology increasingly supports that process. Digital dashboards give clients continuous visibility of programme performance, enabling them to see where a project is heading rather than simply where it has been.
“One of the values that Compass adds to programmes is the dashboard, which gives the client 24/7 access to the project so they know exactly where the programme is heading.”
The purpose, however, is not simply to create more information.
“Our role is to alert the client as early as possible if there are any issues affecting these programmes and projects,” affirms Aljufairi.
The value of digitalisation therefore lies in turning information into intervention.
The construction site becomes digital
The next stage could see that principle applied directly to construction sites.
Aljufairi believes artificial intelligence, computer vision and augmented-reality technologies will increasingly change construction supervision. Compass is already discussing potential applications with clients, including cameras integrated into helmets used by site inspectors.
“At the moment, we are discussing with a few of our clients how to implement AI and augmented reality, including cameras integrated into helmets used by site inspectors. When the inspectors go to site, the camera is switched on and linked to the drawings and the model. Whatever the camera detects, whether someone is not wearing a helmet, there is a health and safety issue, or there is a construction issue, it can be flagged,” explains Aljufairi.
The concept is to connect what an inspector sees on site with the project’s digital drawings, models and other information.
Such systems could allow issues to be identified and recorded more quickly while creating a richer digital record of site activity. Technology, Aljufairi says, is intended to support rather than replace professional judgement. “There are a number of tools we are discussing with clients to accelerate the process and make it even more efficient.”
The same thinking extends beyond construction completion. Digital twins have become one of the industry’s most discussed technologies, but Aljufairi believes the Gulf is still some way from widespread adoption of fully dynamic digital-twin environments.
“A lot of people are talking about digital twins, and the region is still early in delivering them as fully dynamic environments. That is where we see the opportunity,” says Aljufairi.
The opportunity is becoming clearer, particularly for existing assets. Aljufairi points to growing demand in Saudi Arabia for higher-level BIM models that can ultimately support dynamic digital-twin applications.
“Nowadays, there is a big demand in Saudi Arabia, especially for assets completed over the last 5 to 10 years, to have BIM LOD 700, where the model is dynamic and linked to a digital twin.”
The potential value is significant. Instead of allowing information about an asset to become fragmented after construction, a digital twin can maintain an updated record of its components, condition, warranties, defects and maintenance requirements.
“Why digital twins? Because you can manage your whole asset. Digital twins will give you the details of everything within the buildings – the warranties, any defects and other information. They will be particularly valuable for projects that have been completed and for very expensive assets,” explains Aljufairi.
For Compass, this forms part of a broader geospatial offering that brings together BIM, asset management and digital-twin capabilities.
Data becomes an investment tool
Ultimately, Aljufairi argues, the biggest opportunity is not simply creating digital models or collecting more information. It is using data to make better decisions.
“Geospatial is not only about GIS, land boundaries and surveys. Geospatial is about data.”
That data can influence decisions throughout the asset lifecycle, from site selection and development planning through design, procurement and construction to operations and maintenance.
“Every decision you make about your land, whether it is for development, how you are going to build the project, or where the project should be located, can be supported by geospatial intelligence,” states Aljufairi.
Historical project data can also become an asset in its own right.
“With the geospatial and digital data we get from assets, we can use machine learning to support new projects. The more data you have on similar projects – for example, the lifecycle of materials and equipment – the more we can use that data to improve the construction industry on new assets,” he remarks.
The more information is accumulated from comparable assets, the more sophisticated future decisions can become.
Compass is already using project-management information systems to manage the growing volume of information generated by major programmes.
“At Compass, we are working with PMIS systems that facilitate and manage large amounts of data.”
The objective is not to reduce information, but to organise it so that it can support decisions.
“I see more data as beneficial rather than detrimental,” says Aljufairi.
This shift towards data-driven delivery is happening alongside greater scrutiny of capital allocation. For developers and investors, the question is increasingly not simply whether a project can be built, but whether it should be built in its current form, at its current cost and on its current programme.
“With investors watching cash flow more closely, there is definitely going to be more focus on where investment goes, how that investment is deployed, and what the return on investment is for every riyal and dirham invested,” he states.
Aljufairi expects this focus on resilience, return on investment and delivery speed to have a lasting impact on construction.
“This is going to change the whole construction industry. There will be more focus on how we build projects in a very short time, how we use digital technologies and machine learning, and how we use new and innovative solutions to deliver these outcomes,” explains Aljufairi.
The changes could extend to how projects are physically built, with traditional labour-intensive construction increasingly giving way to modularisation, off-site manufacturing, robotics and automated processes.
“I think it is going to be more about modular designs, where you do everything off site and then bring it to site, or digital machines building the construction and the assets, with far fewer people exposed to risk on site,” envisions Aljufairi.
The same transformation could affect supervision itself.
“The traditional model of PMCs and supervision is going to evolve into a hybrid solution, where you have very few people on site. Even now, robotics are being introduced for site inspections, with a senior engineer sitting in the office and managing the site remotely. Things are definitely going to change. That change is positive because it is driven by data. The level of mistakes is going to be minimised, projects will be delivered more quickly, and the quality will be exactly what you are looking for, but within a shorter timeframe,” remarks Aljufairi.
For clients, the potential benefits are clear: faster delivery, greater control, fewer errors and more predictable quality.
For Compass, the convergence of project management, construction supervision, geospatial intelligence, asset management and digital technology represents more than an expansion of services. It reflects a changing definition of project success.
The next phase of construction will still demand projects delivered on time and on budget. But those measures alone will increasingly be insufficient.
Investors will want greater certainty that capital is being deployed effectively. Developers will need earlier visibility of risks. Owners will expect higher-quality assets and better information after handover. Project teams will increasingly rely on technology to monitor, analyse and improve performance.
Aljufairi believes Compass is already positioned for that transition. “I believe Compass is very well positioned in the market for what is going to happen in the future,” he says.
The direction of travel is clear: greater digitalisation, more sophisticated use of project data and a stronger focus on protecting the investment as well as delivering the physical asset.
“I think we are moving more and more towards digitalisation. We have a clear vision of where the market is going, and Compass is already working that way with our clients today,” concludes Aljufairi.
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