scrubbedexpat141

No, few subbies are, or specialists, which is worrying.

They spread the work around. It'll be Laing's last job in the region from what I understand, CArillion - or whatever they're left delivering as now, Khansaheb (Interserve), Dutco (I think are here too)....but most of the work is now done to be honest.

jam25mack

The Chinese are in line for several of our big projects over here. Can't wait for the arguments over quality and H&S to begin.

scrubbedexpat141

The big Chinese firm are on a job of ours, however in a 'sister' project there's a Turkish contractor.

They try to outdo each other for ignoring H&S. Including, but not limited to, possibly, maybe thinking about, might not actually have happened but dropping whatever they fancy from height on top of buildings including site offices, other offices, our offices, their offices. Maybe.

carcajou

Interesting. A friend of mine just went back and said Abu Dhabi was a ghost town for Westerners.

Millhouse

That's my sense.

jam25mack

Yup.... and imagine having to do something like 20km of tunneling with them....

jam25mack

Scabby Dhabby has been a ghost town for a few years now. My company shut their offices there and moved everyone up to Dubai.

DXBtoDOH

The big engineering firms are downsizing in the region. Our footprint there is massively smaller than five years ago. The top brass isn't interested in what it takes to compete with the Asian sweatshops and lack of payment for outstanding invoices (mega!) in Qatar is also having an effect in not pursuing new work. I talked to one of our big honchos at a work drinks affair and he said there's only so many times one can deal with the clients in the Gulf. They'll spend years promising to pay you but never do or ask you to write it down, or they'll hold you to your performance bond for years but never issue any new task orders.

weasel decentral

Are they not setting up their own Asian sweatshops to compete? Aecom, Buro Happold, Arup to some degree, Khatib and Alami, Atkins, WME and a lot more seem to have set up back offices in India to service the Middle East.

weasel decentral

Worked with a couple of Chinese contractors in HK on some JV tenders, and have visited their sites. There are some very professional ones out there for quality and safety, but I think the exported Chinese contractor is a very different animal.

scrubbedexpat141

I'd move to AD in a heartbeat if there was the right position. Dubai can get ****ed, too many *****.

Payment. This is everything.

UKCityGent

The same situation has been happening in Kuwait for last 2-3 years

When i came in 2008 there was a decent Western community ranging from Aussies, Irish, UK and splattering of US and now its been decline to almost everyone i know has left (usually to return home or moved on to full time retirement). I just cant be bothered to contact replacements who tend to be Arab (usually Egyptians) or SE Asians (Indians).

I think its time for me to move off this gravy train and initiate Project Retirement !!

jam25mack

We're not..... yet!

Didn't know BH have.... didn't think they were big enough.

You are right tho for all the other big boys, we have 'Delivery Excellence Centres' in India and Poland.

co durham boy

Every man and his dog is in there . We're in there and the arses are twitching now on the client side . Royal visits every month and people getting fired left , right and center . It'll be a proper shit show after Xmas.

scrubbedexpat141

You'd imagine they're busting a gut wouldn't you? I go weekly for a meeting at 1630. The events and fluffy bits - empty. All gone home.