Amaala Triple Bay

Saudi Arabia

Project Description

Early Contractor Involvement

Project Management
Process Management

As project director for the ECI consortium, some of the ECI-focused responsibilities included establishing an ECI services execution plan, followed by performing the established plan of action and implementing controls to ensure the delivery meets the overall goals of the ECI phase.

He also fostered a culture of collaboration and open communication from the ECI contractor towards the developer, facilitated the decision process on a wide range of choices (design, methods, schedule, interfaces) through trade-off assessments, taking into consideration the project objectives of the client, and transforming them into criteria and weighing factors.

Risk management was another critical area of focus for the ECI leadership. At such an early stage, it is necessary to thoroughly evaluate the potential impact of information gaps and technical assumptions, prioritize issues, and find solutions to reduce or eliminate uncertainty wherever possible.

Project Management

The Amaala Triple Bay project is a luxury yacht marina under construction on the Red Sea coast in Saudi Arabia. The project is owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund and forms part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. In 2020, Alligence expert Kenneth Willems was appointed as the Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) project director by a design and build contractor consortium. The ECI consortium’s was focused on the marine scope: the port basin, access channels and quay walls.

One of the main challenges of this project was coordinating with multiple contractors to ensure seamless integration of design, methodology, and scheduling. The ECI contractor also assisted the developer in implementing sustainable solutions throughout the project, raising the bar in terms of environmental responsibility.

The logistics of the ECI phase were particularly challenging due to the size and international nature of the team, as well as the need to navigate numerous COVID restrictions such as a ban on international travel throughout much of the ECI phase. Also the preparation of the execution phase presented several logistical challenges, including a desert environment, limited local housing and fabrication facilities, and limited road infrastructure.

To manage these challenges early on and create a strong basis for the design & build phase, an Early Contractor Involvement approach was taken, structured by the FIDIC White Book. The ECI phase was structured into a series of 2-week sprints and key decision meetings, followed by a brief tender phase in the final weeks of the ECI phase.