The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) has said that it is taking all necessary precautions for workers, in line with the COVID-19 preventative measures and interim guidelines recommended by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). The SC said in a statement issued yesterday that the SC have utilized its existing network of medical clinics across all sites and accommodations, and implemented awareness sessions delivered on construction sites and accommodations to educate workers on the importance of prevention, and taking workers’ temperatures twice daily, and the distribution of masks and sanitizers on SC projects. In case of shortage of masks, personal scarves used by workers were advised for use. The statement added that non-essential visitors to SC construction sites prohibited and isolation rooms established on all SC sites and accommodations. Interim disinfection protocols have been implemented at site and accommodation medical facilities. All healthcare professionals are following Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) measures to control COVID-19 outbreak. The SC pointed out that workers with chronic disease and those above 55 years have been temporarily demobilized from site due to them being more vulnerable to COVID-19. The SC is ensuring that they stay in SC compliant accommodation and they continue to receive salaries. It carried out inspections of existing caterers’ kitchen facilities and based on risk assessment, identified caterers that either need to upgrade their kitchen operations; or be replaced with a caterer that is equipped with better facilities, so as to ensure in both cases that higher standards are in place to mitigate against the COVID-19. The SC consulted with in-house doctor to identify a list of food items that are both recommended for consumption as well as those that should be prohibited (as these items make them more vulnerable to COVID-19). The same has been circulated to all the caterers serving food on the SC sites. Read more at The Peninsula Qatar

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has started implementing the first package of Ras Bu Abboud Beach Development Project, as part of the works of the Supervisory Committee of Beautification of Roads and Public Places in Qatar.

The project will prepare the beach to be a leisure and tourist destination for all the people and visitors to Qatar, in addition to developing the road leading to the beach and Ras Bu Abboud Stadium. The completion of first package of the project is scheduled in the second quarter of 2020.

Engineer Jazmine Al Sheikh, Design Manager of the Project at the Supervisory Committee of Beautification of Roads and Public Places in Qatar at Ashghal, said that Ras Bu Abboud beach development project aims to turn the beach into a tourist and family destination, especially as it is located in a distinguished area that qualifies it to be one of the main tourist attractions in Qatar. The project will be implemented on an area of 260,000sqm with a length of 2.2km, to serve all of Qatar’s citizens, residents and visitors, especially those who are located in the surrounding areas.

She added that the project includes preparing the beach to become a suitable recreational destination for practising beach activities such as swimming and relaxing. It includes an area designated for sports activities. The project includes the construction of a pedestrian and cycling path with a length of 2.2km, in addition to providing bike racks, to make it easier for the beach visitors to exercise, jog, and cycle.

Also, in order to provide a suitable healthy environment and to beautify the view of the beach, the project includes planting 11,500sqm of landscaping and about 500 trees.

The project includes providing buildings and service booths in four separate areas, including restaurants, cafes, toilets, etc. In addition to providing seating areas, umbrellas and beach showers to serve beach visitors.

To enhance safety on the beach and enable its users to benefit from it at night, a distinctive and high-tech lighting network will be implemented, including surveillance cameras and Wi-Fi devices.

The project includes providing parking lots, including parking for people with special needs.

Slopes and paths that lead directly to the pedestrian and cycle paths have been implemented.

The project also includes the implementation of construction and development of infrastructure, such as the construction of drinking water, irrigation and electricity networks, surveillance cameras and a network to provide Wi-Fi service.

Photo and article source: The Peninsula

There are no specific courts or tribunals in Qatar dealing with project finance transactions or construction contracts. Disputes will be heard in the Qatari courts unless referred to arbitration or unless the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) laws apply.

In 2005, the QFC was established under Law No. 7 of 2005, as amended (the Qatar Financial Centre Law). The QFC perhaps can best be considered as a separate jurisdiction within the state of Qatar, for businesses established in the QFC (i.e., pursuant to the specific QFC laws and regulations). To date, the QFC has had little impact on the project finance or construction sectors, as its objectives are to promote the establishment and conduct of international banking, financial services, insurance and associated businesses. The QFC has its own court, the Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre (QIC-DRC), formerly the Civil and Commercial Court of the Qatar Financial Centre. The court is staffed (on a visiting basis) by a number of very distinguished judges from various civil and common law jurisdictions. The Rt Hon the Lord Thomas, a former Chief Justice of England and Wales, is the current President of the QIC-DRC.

Since its establishment in 2009, few cases have been heard by the QIC-DRC. The boundaries of its jurisdiction are as yet untested. The QIC-DRC is currently promoting the use of its services, particularly for alternative dispute resolution (ADR), in the construction sector through a construction dispute resolution system known as Q-Construct, which is akin to construction adjudication in certain common law countries. So far, the public bodies now embarking on procurements have yet to show an appetite to provide in their contracts for use of services such as Q-Construct or dispute adjudication boards.

The language of the QIC-DRC may be Arabic or English and rights of audience are governed by Article 29 of the QFC Civil and Commercial Court Regulations and Procedural Rules (December 2010). The Court has extremely well-equipped modern facilities and hearings can take place by video link.

ii Arbitration and ADR
Construction contracts, particularly in the private sector, commonly provide for disputes to be resolved by arbitration. In the public sector and the oil and gas sector, some employers are willing to agree arbitration provisions, but others, such as Ashghal, are more traditional and their standard terms refer disputes to the Qatari courts. Traditionally the courts and practising lawyers have been circumspect in their view of arbitration. However, Law No. 2 of 2017 (the Arbitration Law) is a significant update to Qatar’s arbitration law. Historically, lawyers have tended to regard arbitration as merely adding a tier to the bottom of the court process. However, through the introduction of the Arbitration Law, it is hoped that any lingering doubts about Qatar’s approach to enforcement of arbitral awards have been removed, making arbitration a credible alternative to the local courts.

The major developments in the Arbitration Law include the following:

• arbitration agreements may be made electronically;
• authority for a public entity to arbitrate must come from the Prime Minister;
• the Ministry of Justice is to maintain a list of approved people who can act as arbitrators; and
• qualifications must be approved if parties wish to nominate an arbitrator who is not on the Ministry’s list.

Public sector employers who accept arbitration provisions require Qatar to be the seat of the arbitration. This is also the norm (although not universal) in arbitration agreements between private sector bodies (e.g., between a main contractor and a subcontractor).

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is the most commonly accepted international arbitration institution. The London Court of International Arbitration is occasionally an agreed choice. The Qatar International Centre for Conciliation and Arbitration operates under the auspices of the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry and publishes its own rules for mediation and arbitration. The QIC-DRC also has its own procedural regulations for arbitration, which apply when the QFC is the seat of arbitration.

Apart from arbitration, the use of formal ADR is not widespread. A small number of projects have adopted FIDIC dispute adjudication boards, but others using FIDIC contracts have deleted these provisions. As noted in Section X.i, the QIC-DRC is promoting its services for ADR in the construction sector through its proposed Q-Construct scheme.

When construction disputes are referred to the courts, they are almost invariably referred by the judge to a court-appointed expert, who will investigate the facts and merits of the case and report to the judge. All proceedings in the Qatari courts are in Arabic and all documents referred to must be translated into Arabic. It would be difficult to predict with confidence the outcome of a large and complex construction dispute, heavy on documentation, as to the court’s judgment and the time and costs involved.

Qatar became a signatory to the New York Convention in 2003. There have been few, if any, applications since then to enforce foreign awards. A small number of foreign awards had been enforced on other grounds prior to Qatar’s accession to the Convention. However, a decision in 2014 has indicated a ‘positive step towards a full recognition and enforcement of foreign awards’ in the Qatari courts. In this context, at a hearing in early April 2014, the Qatari Supreme Court (the highest jurisdiction of Qatar) overturned a judgment of the court of appeal that set aside an ICC arbitral award as being in violation of Qatari public policy.

Source: Lexogy

The Minister of Municipality and Environment, H E Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie, has said that the State of Qatar completed infrastructure projects such as Hamad International Airport, Doha Metro, Hamad Port in addition to other infrastructure projects with remarkable success.

Addressing the opening session of the World Congress of Engineering and Technology (WCET) which started yesterday, H E the Minister of Municipality and Environment noted that the successful execution of many infrastructure projects had played an important role in enhancing State’s economic growth.

Qatar University’s (QU) College of Engineering (CENG) launched the four-day WCET at the Grand Hyatt Doha Hotel yesterday, which will continue until Wednesday.

The WCET joins both the IEEE International Conference on Informatics, IoT, and Enabling Technologies (ICIoT’20) and International Conference on Civil Infrastructure and Construction (CIC2020).

During opening ceremony, a number of dignitaries spoke including the Minister of Municipality and Environment, H E Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie; Es’hailSat Chairperson, H E Dr. Hessa Sultan Al Jaber; QU President, Dr. Hassan Al Derham, President of Public Works Authority ‘Ashghal’, Dr. Eng Saad bin Ahmad Al Muhannadi among others.

H E the Minister of Municipality and Environment, who is also the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Qatar Rail, said that the company had succeeded in implementing the first phase of the Doha Metro, consisting of three lines and 37 main stations.

He further said that the company successfully managed to overcome many of the challenges, during construction phase, with the help of advanced technology.

“The tunnels were built using 21 tunnel boring machines that dug a total of 110 kilometers in 3 years. The project was implemented ahead of schedule, in addition to reducing costs and without affecting the quality,” the Minister added.

He further said that the Ministry of Municipality and Environment established a partnership with the Qatar Transportation Center to reduce the environmental impact of the Metro and increase its efficiency by improving safety and reducing fuel consumption.

In his speech at the opening session, Qatar University President Dr. Hassan Rashid Al-Derham said: “The World Congress of Engineering and Technology will include plenary sessions and keynote lectures on various topics related to informatics, e-health, Internet of Things, enabling technologies, artificial intelligence, infrastructure, and construction.”

“We expect that the congress will provide a forum for exchanging technical information, disseminating high-quality research results, presenting new policies and scientific progress in this area.”

For her part, H E Chairperson of the Board the Qatar Satellite Company Es’hailSat Dr. Hessa Al Jaber discussed examples of healthcare apps.

International Conference on Civil Infrastructure and Construction (CIC2020) is co-organized by Qatar University, the Public Works Authority ‘Ashghal’ and the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, and is sponsored by a number of leading organizations and companies. The sponsors on the platinum category are Qatari Diar, AlSarh Holding Group, Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC), Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, Qatar Rail, Qatar National Tourism Council, and Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF). The sponsors on the gold category are JH Construction and Al-Waha Contracting and Trading Company. On the silver category are Qatar Building Company, AlTawfeeq and Partners Contracting and WSP.

The IEEE International Conference on Informatics, IoT, and Enabling Technologies is sponsored by QNRF, Qatar National Tourism Council, Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, Ministry of Transport and Communications and Dell.

Source: The Peninsula Qatar