First Governorate Ambassadors Forum reviews projects development and tenders experiences Working Papers and Field Visits Underscore the Importance of Institutional Integration and Knowledge Exchange across Governorates
21/05/2025
The First Governors’ Envoys Forum kicked off on Tuesday, organized by Muscat Governorate in collaboration with the General Secretariat of the Tender Board, from May 20 to 22. This forum is the first of its kind across the governorates, aiming to promote institutional integration and the exchange of best practices in contracts and tenders management. It supports the government’s directives to decentralization, empowering governorates, and achieving balanced development across the Sultanate of Oman.
National Experts Present Developmental Visions in Projects and Contracts Management
During the first day, an official opening session with welcoming speeches from Muscat Governorate and the General Secretariat of the Tender Board was followed by specialised sessions and workshops that reviewed experiences in project and contract management, highlighting common challenges and solutions to them.
Dr Abdulmajeed Al-Aghbari from Muscat Governorate delivered a working paper on the importance of strengthening legal governance and achieving contractual balance in the management of government tenders and contracts. The paper focused on the development of tender books to unify contractual formulas, improve the quality of contracts and minimise disputes.
Engineer Zeina Al Saadi from the General Secretariat of the Tender Board introduced a working paper entitled Project Documentary Cycle and the ‘Adamaa’ platform, which aimed to highlight the role of governance in reducing change orders, enhancing transparency, increasing spending efficiency and accelerating the pace of delivery. It enhances transparency, improves spending efficiency and accelerates the pace of achievement.
In the same context, Fatima Al Fazari from Muscat Municipality presented a working paper on the methodology of preparing projects in annual plans, during which she reviewed the methodological framework for planning and prioritising projects, with a focus on technical and financial review before including them in the annual plan.
Engineers Majid Al-Abri and Amjad Al-Azri from the General Secretariat for Tenders concluded the first day`s sessions with a workshop titled Local Content and Price Indices. They emphasised the importance of enhancing local content through four main pillars: Omanisation and increasing employment rates in various projects, supporting and empowering SMEs and integrating them into government and private supply chains, increasing the proportion of local components, products and services in contracts and procurement, and transferring knowledge and technology by creating effective partnerships with international companies to transfer expertise.
Field Visits Highlight Vital Projects in Muscat Governorate:
The first Governorates Ambassadors Forum programme yesterday (Wednesday) involved field visits to a number of vital projects in Muscat Governorate, including the Oman Botanic Garden, Sultan Haitham City, the dualisation of Al Ansab-Jafnain Road, and a visit to the Green Walk.
During the visit, a number of visual presentations were also shown that showcased other ongoing projects such as the Rifq Centre for the Care and Rehabilitation of Stray Animals, the Al Amerat Path Project, the Flagpole Project, and the Yeti Sustainable City Project, to familiarise participants with the diversity of projects and business models adopted in the governorate.
Sultan Haitham City: A Sustainable Urban Model:
The forum programme included a field visit to Sultan Haitham City, the first smart city in Oman. The ambassadors were briefed on the most prominent features of the city, which was built on an area of more than 14 million square metres to accommodate about 100,000 people, and includes 20,000 housing units distributed in 19 full-service neighbourhoods, as well as educational, health and community facilities, and a smart transport network that adopts sustainability criteria, such as renewable energy, green spaces, and environmentally friendly designs. In addition to educational, health and community facilities, and a smart transport network based on sustainability standards, such as renewable energy, green spaces, and environmentally friendly designs.
The city is a model for modern urban planning, providing a flexible environment, enhancing the quality of life, and providing lifestyles that meet the aspirations of all society groups.
The Oman Botanic Garden: An Environmental and Knowledge Edifice:
The programme also provided a field visit to the Oman Botanic Garden, one of the largest environmental projects in the Arab world. Located on 430 hectares in Al Khoud village in Seeb, surrounded by Oman`s northern mountains, the garden includes all types of Omani plants in carefully designed natural environments, including facilities such as the visitor centre, nursery, field studies centre, and indoor environments such as the northern and southern mountain climates.
The park is a unique model of natural heritage conservation and houses the largest seed bank in Oman, making it a scientific and tourism centre that combines research, education and ecological experience.
Duplication of the Al-Ansab- Jafnain Road: Infrastructure to connect Governorates:
During the field visits, the participants were also briefed on the Al Ansab-Jafnain road dualisation project, which is one of the vital projects aimed at enhancing traffic infrastructure in Muscat Governorate, extending 15 kilometres from Falaj Al Sham area in Bawshar to Al Jafnain in Seeb. The project includes three lanes in each direction, 20 kilometres of service roads, and four major intersections that include bridges and tunnels to ensure mobility.
The project aims to improve connectivity between Muscat Governorate and the interior and north-eastern governorates, and relieve congestion on the Rusayl-Muscat highway. The cost of the project is approximately OMR 53 million.
The ‘Green Walk’ Project:
The ambassadors visited the ‘Green Walk’ project in Al Maabilah South in Seeb, which was implemented by Muscat Municipality in collaboration with Occidental Oman on an estimated area of 152,000 square metres. The project includes multiple sports and recreational facilities such as a 3,400-metre-long walkway and cycle track, sports fields, children`s play areas, green spaces, rest areas, and commercial and service facilities.
The project reflects Muscat Governorate`s commitment to providing an integrated urban environment that enhances the quality of life and supports the concepts of sustainability and public health, in partnership with the private sector.
‘It was a successful step with a tangible impact, taking us from the theoretical discussion to the reality of field implementation, enhancing practical understanding and opening up new horizons of inspiration,’ said Engineer Shaikha bint Ahmed Al Wahshi, Ambassador of Al Dhahirah Governorate. She added: ‘The visit to Sultan Haitham City and the Oman Botanical Garden showed the extent of planning and precision in implementation, and was a rich experience that provided us with a practical visualisation of what can be achieved in terms of development and innovation in institutional and service work.’
Engineer Anfal bint Essa Al Hamdani, Ambassador of South Al Batinah Governorate, stated that through field visits, we discovered the features of Sultan Haitham City, which focused on the partnership of government and private entities; the project was designed accurately and internal and external roads were considered and linked to Sultan Qaboos Street and Muscat Highway; in addition to the diversity of green spaces in open spaces, plazas, and large areas. She confirmed: ‘In short, no one can imagine how Oman will become tomorrow,’ she said, referring to the development ambitions and future vision that Oman has achieved in various fields.