CONTRACTS worth $39 billion have been awarded for projects in the GCC’s construction and transport sectors during the first six months of this year, according to regional project tracking database Meed Projects.

Nearly a quarter of this total estimated amount (24 per cent) was awarded by Qatar Rail for five packages of the Doha Metro. These five contracts, worth an estimated $8.4 billion, ranked Qatar Rail top of the list of clients to award contracts in 2013 and makes Qatar the biggest market in the GCC for construction and transport awards.

The second ranked client is Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior, which awarded four contracts worth $6.1 billion for the Security Forces Medical Complex in Riyadh and the KAP 3 and 4 security compounds, contributing 17 per cent of the total awards in the GCC during the first half of 2013.

Contracting consortiums dominate the list of the top 10 ranked contractors with five of the 10 biggest contracts having been awarded to consortiums for projects in Doha: four for the Doha Metro and one for Phase Three of the Msheireb Downtown Doha development. The top ranked contractor is Saudi Binladin Group, following the award of a $3.5-billion contract for Abraj Kudai in Makkah.

Just one UAE project features in the rankings for the top 10 clients: Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island, the $653-million contract for which placed Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) of Abu Dhabi in seventh position in the client rankings and the contracting consortium of Arabtec, San Jos and Oger at the 12th position.

Back in Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Housing awarded six infrastructure projects worth more than $1 billion. Al Rashid Contracting won the housing location near Riyadh airport worth nearly one third the ministry awards year to date.