Astad invited the Qatar Society of Engineers (QSE) to their headquarters recently to discuss its flagship product Sanad and how it can support Qatar’s construction projects.

The meeting was attended by Astad chief executive Ali al-Khalifa, QSE chairman Ahmad Jassim al-Jolo, Federation of Arab Engineers president and board member Abdullah Mohamed al-Baker, and the Architectural Chapter president Yacoub Youssef al-Mulla.

Al-Khalifa led a presentation that showcased the benefits of Sanad and emphasised how it can be used to bring all parties involved in construction projects together, ultimately promoting the efficient delivery of projects.

Sanad, launched in April 2017, includes a suite of four contract templates and standardised forms covering construction, design and build, design services and professional services.

It complies with local laws, regional realities, and global best practices while holding equity, ?exibility, balance, and effectiveness at its core.

Al-Khalifa said: “Over the years, we grew to fully understand the unique contractual challenges faced within Qatar’s construction industry which often led to disputes and claims between parties and inevitably delayed projects.

“This presented an opportunity for us to develop Sanad while maintaining fair and appropriate risk for all parties by offering more balanced contract terms and conditions.”

Al-Khalifa discussed how Sanad reiterates Astad’s commitment to supporting Qatar’s vision of a knowledge-based economy.

”Sanad aims to act as a supportive tool within the construction industry, refining contractual procedures within Qatar, while simultaneously utilised as an educational reference.”

Al-Jolo stated: "We have a common goal with Astad to successfully contribute towards the urban and industrial development of Qatar through enhanced engineering practices.”

He observed that Sanad is a product that has been developed as a result of the common contractual challenges found in Qatar.

“We actively support such home grown initiatives that aim to initiate a positive outcome throughout the construction industry.”

In addition, Astad and QSE discussed the prospect of having a Memorandum of Understanding and discussed ways to support QSE with local initiatives including engineering specialised conferences, awareness seminars, activities, training courses and the establishment of an engineering magazine specialised in QSE’s activities.

The QSE is a non- profit organisation established in 2007, under the patronage of the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs.

It is a member of the Gulf Engineering Union, Arab Engineers Union, and the World Federation of Engineering Organisations, that strives to enhance professional engineering development throughout Qatar by promotion, raising standards, regulations, protecting rights and representing engineers on local, regional, Arab and international levels.