Combined Group Company (CGC), one of the major contracting companies that has been operating in Kuwait since 1965, is currently handling projects worth approximately $635 million.

This leading contractor is listed by the Central Tenders Committee of Kuwait as category I for roads and sewers as well as for building construction projects. It is also approved by Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) for the installation of all diameters of pipelines, manifolds and maintenance of pipelines.
In addition, CGC attained the ISO 9001:2000 quality management certification from IQ-Net and QMI in January this year.
The company has successfully completed several major projects such as the Ghazali Expressway, which it claims is the  largest highway project completed by a single local company in Kuwait to date. Other projects include the New International Airport Commercial Building and a major oil pipeline for the transportation of export crude oil from the South Tank Farm to the Ahmadi Port.
CGC – which says it enjoys an excellent relationship with the Ahmadiah Group –carried out a number of projects with the company last year including the airport runways in Kuwait for the US Army.
Since the liberation of Kuwait, CGC has completed works exceeding $800 million in value in Kuwait and is currently involved in:

• One of the largest sanitary sewer network replacement projects, which involves the installation of 150 km of open-cut pipelines and 18 km of micro-tunnelled pipelines;
• Construction of the Audit Bureau headquarters;
• Maintenance and rehabilitation of hospitals and schools;
• Large projects for the Ministry of Defence, including the Air Force institute and the National Guard’s Kazma shooting range.

In the pipeline construction sector, CGC is installing one of the first welded-carbon steel pipelines in the country for the conveyance of water (approximately 150 km of 1,200 and 800 mm pipelines) and crude oil flow-lines in the north of Kuwait (pipelines total length exceeds 1,200 km).
To ensure the smooth functioning and efficiency in implementing projects, the management regularly upgrades of all computer hardware and software to connect all projects and support operations with voice/data networks, allowing simultaneous operations at project sites, and linking the main/regional offices and the plant, equipment and vehicles support operations as well as centrally-connected procurement and stores sections to allow on-time deliveries of materials.
CGC has recently put in place an operation which will enable it to efficiently handle construction and trading activities in Iraq. The company has established two offices in Baghdad and Basra and rented a 50,000 sq m plot of land in Basra for support operations. All communication links have been established between its offices in Iraq and the main office in Kuwait. The two offices are currently operational with Iraqi staff and some management staff from the Kuwaiti operation base.
The company has also recently set up a joint venture with the UAE’s Emirates Trading Agencies Company (ETA) to import and supply crushed aggregates from a number of Gulf sources for the company’s operations and for trading and has already received two shipments of aggregate in Kuwait.
 “To support the growth of the company, the management has always looked at employing the most skilled workforce in the local and regional market. It has thus succeeded in gathering the best in engineering and management talents,” says a spokesman for the company. “The experience pool include professionals in engineering and management in the fields of building construction and maintenance, road construction and maintenance, pipelines for water and oil and gas, sanitary sewer pipelines and maintenance; architects, engineers and planners; and a chosen group of support crew including site supervisors, surveyors, quantity surveyors, drivers and operators and draftsmen.”
In addition, the company views the continuous training and development of employees as essential to keeping abreast of the latest construction and management trends, he says.
The spokesman continues: “The operation of any general contractor calls for cooperation with many specialist subcontractors. CGC’s choice of subcontractors has been exemplary; enabling it to undertake many large projects and complete them successfully. The company continues to deal with partners from many specialised fields including electro-mechanical, plumbing, radiographic testing, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning), elevators and escalators, fire-fighting, security systems, aluminium works and many other fields of specialty.
“A major concern of contracting companies is the financial ability and support required to undertake large and numerous projects simultaneously. The support of the local banks to CGC has been tremendous over the years. These include the Industrial Bank of Kuwait, the Commercial Bank of Kuwait, Al Ahli Bank, the Gulf Bank, Burgan Bank and all other financial institutions that have played a role in the success of the company.”
Although CGC started with a small fleet of trucks, it has expanded over the years and owns and operates many different types of plant, equipment and machinery, including specialised equipment for cleaning and vacuuming of existing pipelines, micro-tunnelling/jacking operations, asphalt production and laying, concrete mixing and transportation, and cold milling and remixing of roadways; closed-circuit video cameras and equipment; pipeline welding and testing equipment; heavy earthworks equipment and many other support equipment and vehicles for the construction business.
The entire equipment and plant operations are headquartered at a company-owned facility set up at Sulaibiya.
“CGC upholds superior quality standards which have positively influenced its relationship with project owners, both public and private, and these ties continue to flourish and to get stronger over the years,” he says. “Our goal is the satisfaction of our clients, whether internal or external, and our major clients are our project owners.”
CGC is open to cooperation with international contractors to carry out both for local major  and build-operate-transfer (BOT) projects, and for Kuwait Fund projects overseas.
The new operation in Iraq is also looking for partners and new clients as it establishes a presence in this new market.
CGC has a web site (www.cgc-kw.com), which is updated regularly to show major changes in company structure or operations.