Al Habtoor Engineering's (HEE) Abu Dhabi operation is currently busy with several projects in the emirate, the biggest of which is the construction of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) group companies headquarters.

"Currently HEE/HMR have 12 projects under way in the emirate, including jobs in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, Ruwais, Bu Hasa, Raha Beach and Ghantoot amongst others, as well as few tenders under submission," says Abdullah Muwahid, who is in overall control of the operations that Al Habtoor and the Habtoor Murray & Roberts (HMR) joint venture have in the emirate.

The Abu Dhabi office is a separate entity and is registered with the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and classified and registered as Special Category in the Planning Department and with all of its important customers, including Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat), the Adnoc group, the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (Adwea) group, the GHQ Defence Forces, Private Office of HH Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the Works Department. The office prepares and submits tender bids under its own name after technical and commercial approval by the head office in Dubai.

Muwahid joined Al Habtoor in 1984 as a project manager in Jordan and then transferred to Abu Dhabi after four years in Jordan. His first job in Abu Dhabi with Al Habtoor was as project manager on the Armed Forces Officers Club. He worked on that intermittently for the next six years as the various phases were built and the job grew from Dh182 million to a final cost of more than Dh500 million, including a 700-room five-star hotel.

Muwahid has the responsibility to find and secure jobs as well execute them and has a staff of more than 250, including his own estimation department, and more than 3,500 workers on site.

The Abu Dhabi office is spearheading Al Habtoor's work for the oil, gas and petrochemical industries in the UAE and has completed key civils, infrastructure and building contracts for the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Operations (Adco) and Technimont (the Borouge petrochemical plant).

Four years ago, HEE undertook a major job on behalf of Adco for the infrastructure upgrade of the accommodation and administrative facilities at Asab. This involved demolishing some buildings and facilities that had been built over 20-odd years before and building new facilities including a new administration block, recreation facilities, accommodation buildings, a sewage treatment plant, roads and 11 kV electricity substations.

"HEE is now doing the same thing for Adco in Bu Hasa - demolishing the old facilities and re-building - while all the Adco workers are still living there, as the camp needs to be kept operational," says Muwahid. "This involves significant planning and logistical work in diverting and rerouting services and roads."

Being at the helm of operations is a continuous challenge, says Muwahid. "Nothing is constant or routine in the construction sector. The market is very aggressive with too much competition."

Giving an insight on how he wins work, he explains: "First we have to ensure we meet the pre-qualification standards and are on the shortlist for the tender followed by a comprehensive technical submittal from all aspects including planning, phasing, resources, organogram, methodology, histogram of manpower and plant equipment, safety plan and quality plan. Then, of course, we need to get the right pricing. Then, if we are not completely sure of winning, we need to do our homework, talk to the client and the consultant and convince them that HEE is a fast-track company and can do the job in the shortest possible time and with the best quality."

He continues: "An example of this is a turnkey contract that Al Habtoor won to construct, fitout and fully furnish a private palace for a prominent member of ruling family in a Gulf state.

''No one thought it would be possible to finish the project on time within 12 months. As it was, the furniture had to be airfreighted from Europe in seven jumbo jets. It is one thing to finish a building and commission it - it is another thing entirely to have it ready for immediate occupation with full furniture and household items, working kitchens, completed gardens and landscaping, power, security and CCTV etc."

Such was the importance to HEE to finish on time that Riad Sadek, the managing partner, was on site with Muwahid for almost 45 days, driving the project, co-ordinating with suppliers and sub-contractors, and in one case finding new sub-contractors to assist an existing nominated subcontractor who simply did not have enough labour.

This overall flexibility and fast-track project management capability can be seen with the Al Raha beach resort and mall, which is nearing completion.

Originally, the project was split into two packages, but then the client saw the benefit of using one contractor to undertake the combined packages.

"The programme was already tight at 16 months but such was Al Habtoor's experience with fast-track work that this was further reduced to 14 months and is now extremely tight," says Muwahid. "However, HEE has been so successful that it has been now been awarded the contract for exteriors - landscaping and gardens and dredging new beaches - which is well outside its normal scope of works."

"Another example of HEE's reputation as a fast-track company is the Al Ain Club stadium, which must be ready for a FIFA soccer competition in March 2003. HEE was brought in only after the previous contractor had failed and with only nine months to complete the 10,000-seat stadium practically from scratch," he says.

Currently, the biggest project on hand for Muwahid is the new Dh270 million ($68 million) Adnoc group of companies headquarters in Abu Dhabi, which is being built under the HMR joint venture.

"This is not a fast-track project and has a completion time of 34 months," says Muwahid. "However, it does pose its challenges, as it will be a steel structure and Adnoc is a discerning client."