FIDIC Contractual Advisory in Saudi Arabia

What is Contractual Advisory?

Contractual Advisory is specialist advice on the contract itself, what it says, what it means, and how to operate it to protect commercial position. It covers pre-contract review (reading and risk-mapping a tender contract before bid), award-stage review (mapping the executed Particular Conditions to operational protocols), live project advice (real-time guidance on notices, instructions and determinations), and dispute avoidance (intervening before a disagreement crystallises into a formal claim). On Saudi projects, contractual advisory is essential because most large contracts depart materially from standard FIDIC. Particular Conditions of 80–150 pages are common, and a single amended clause can shift millions of riyals of risk. Reading the contract carefully, and operating it correctly, is the single highest-leverage commercial activity on most projects.

What we deliver

• Pre-tender contract review and risk register (red-flag report)
• Particular Conditions amendment analysis vs base FIDIC
• Operational protocols mapped to each amended clause
• Real-time contractual advice during live projects (helpline model)
• Notice drafting, response and rebuttal advice
• Dispute avoidance intervention before claims crystallise
• Contract amendment and supplemental agreement drafting

Why it matters in Saudi Arabia

• NEOM, Diriyah, Roshn, RCRC and Qiddiya contracts use bespoke heavily-amended FIDIC, generic FIDIC training is insufficient.
• Saudi Civil Transactions Law (effective 2023) introduced new rules on contractual liability, force majeure and good faith that interact with FIDIC clauses.
• Vision 2030 acceleration creates frequent contract amendments and supplemental agreements that themselves need careful drafting.
• Saudi commercial courts and SCCA arbitration enforce written contract terms strictly, informal understandings rarely hold up.

Frequently Asked Questions