Improving Transport Project Appraisals
In the Islamic Countries
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to do so through Royal Decrees115. Differently from the establishment of urban transport
systems in large cities, in the case of smaller investments funding comes from the involved
municipalities, yet municipalities still get their funding from the Ministry of Municipalities and
Rural Affairs, i.e. the central government.
Quality review
According to interviewed stakeholders, a review of conducted project appraisals (particularly
in the road sector) is performed by four different departments at the Ministry of Transport: the
Technical, Engineering, Financial and Planning Departments. In the case of public transport, a
quality review is performed by the PTA. However, no evidence of formally established quality
standards for project appraisals has been found.
Publicity and stakeholders
Vision 2030 stresses the importance of consultation with citizens and the private sector,
particularly through online engagement methods. In the past few years, government ministries
are reported to have invested in surveys and focus group consultations116. However, no evidence
is available on the actual reception of stakeholders’ contributions. In the same vein, in 2017, the
Ministry of Finance released a draft Government Tender and Procurement Law and called for
suggestions and comments on it by interested parties in the private sector and concerned
government bodies. According to its stated objectives, this draft law, regulating the framework
for government procurements, aims to ensure higher participation among small and medium
enterprises and to promote transparency in government tenders, taking into consideration good
practices at the international level. Despite these initiatives, ample room exists to develop
stakeholder engagement further and to institutionalise consultation practices, ensuring that
their outcome feeds into the policy process.
In the framework of transport project appraisal, stakeholder consultation is reported to take
place. In the case of urban transport masterplans, the PTA arranges workshops and invites major
stakeholders to take part in them, such as the involved municipalities, the police and the local
Chamber of Commerce.
Similar events take place both before and after the project appraisal is carried out. As a matter
of fact, different workshops are arranged as the masterplan develops: at the kick-off, the PTA
shares with stakeholders the concept and the purposes of the project; when alternatives are
developed, they are shared with stakeholders; similarly, when the final report is ready, it is
shared as well.
No evidence is available on the actual quality of participation during such meetings and on the
procedures followed for selecting the stakeholders and collecting their contributions.
Project appraisal reports are not made publicly available (e.g. through relevant institutional
websites), but they are shared with the major stakeholders.
115 In Saudi Arabia, the King is the country’s head of state and head of government.
116 Kinninmont, J., 2017. Vision 2030 and Saudi Arabia’s Social Contract, Chatham House, p. 37.