Saudi Aramco recently awarded five-year “framework” contracts for engineering and consulting services in project management to 11 major global companies to support its major capital projects planned by the world’s largest oil company, according to statements released by some awardees and media reports.
Worley, Fluor Corp., Wood and McDermott International are among 11 companies selected to support Saudi Aramco’s multibillion-dollar global program designed to expand the mostly government-owned company’s oil and gas production and industry infrastructure.
The company’s strategy for bringing companies together in a five-year framework agreement is to “ensure critical infrastructure for the continuous supply of energy, chemicals and resources for the domestic market in … Saudi Arabia and global markets,” Worley said in a statement released on July 7.
The framework agreement will link multinational companies with Saudi companies, with local companies designated to perform general engineering services and related work, and international companies meeting Saudi Aramco’s localization goals.
Worley said his five-year deal “is intended to support Aramco’s extensive capital program, one of the largest sources of project investment globally, in the energy, chemicals and resources sectors.”
The Australian-based company said it will “offer project management consultancy services including engineering and design, project development studies, detail engineering, procurement support, project and construction management and technical expertise”. He also noted support for building capacity for local talent.
Worley said it will also leverage its digital capabilities, to include “artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, robotics and automation, and smart energy solutions, to improve the efficiency of engineering delivery” to meet Saudi Aramco’s engineering and information security standards.
Looking for quick answers on construction and engineering topics?
Try Ask ENR, our new intelligent AI search tool.
Ask ENR →
In a statement, Texas-based McDermott said its deal, through its unit McDermott Nederland BV, will support the delivery of large-scale, downstream, petrochemical and low-carbon energy projects in Saudi Arabia, providing engineering, front-end development… and project management services. The deal also establishes a strategic partnership between McDermott and Saudi Arabia-based Fayez Engineering, which the US company describes as a Saudi Aramco-approved contractor that has a strong local execution capability.
According to Fluor, its contract would support Saudi Aramco’s global capital project portfolio and enable the efficient deployment of global expertise as well as local workforce and digital project delivery capabilities.
Scotland-based Wood, which was acquired last year by Dubai engineering firm Sidara, said its five-year deal includes an option to extend it for a further three years. The company said it has partnered with Saudi Aramco for more than 30 years and won a major engineering services contract in 2024 for the energy firm’s southern and northern gas increments project, which is designed to boost domestic gas production.
“This deal … reflects our long-term commitment to supporting Aramco’s energy portfolio,” said Nick Shorten, Wood’s executive chairman of projects. The company said it has about 900 employees in the country.
Saudi Aramco has not disclosed an estimated dollar amount of what the long-term framework agreements with the 11 contractors would cost, but online research suggests the overall capital program, including investments in upstream, downstream, gas expansion and chemicals, could reach between $230 billion and $260 billion over the five-year periods.
Other consultants named in media reports as awardees include Engineers India, Spain-based IDOM, Dallas-based KBR, United Arab Emirates-based Kent, Sinopec Nanjing Engineering Co. of China, Technip Energies of France and Tecnicas Reunidas, based in Spain.
