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Omar Bahgat Vice President & Regional Manager, Engineering Consultants Group (ECG)

QATAR - Real Estate & Construction

Omar Bahgat

Vice President & Regional Manager, Engineering Consultants Group (ECG)

Bio

Omar Bahgat holds a master’s degree in civil engineering with more than 33 years of experience in regional operations management and business development, in addition to extended technical experience in the design, construction, and operation of water and wastewater systems. He assumed several positions in engineering consultancy, contracting, as well as client representatives in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and Australia. In 2012, Bahgat assumed the position of Vice President & Regional Manager in ECG Engineering Consultants Group.

ECG has managed, designed, and supervised many successful major projects in Qatar, including Banana Island, Al Duhail Stadium, and the training pitches for FIFA World Cup 2022.
How do you see the business environment evolving in the medium term?

Qatar is considered one of the best places to practice business in the Middle East. We believe that the business environment in Qatar will continue to stay healthy and promising in the short and medium terms. All the projects related to the FIFA World Cup 2022 are progressing as planned. Many stadiums have been commissioned by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy and have already hosted international events. ECG has proudly been part of those projects. Our latest tendered to market project was the concept overlay of the eight tournament stadia, as well as other related infrastructure projects, including highways, internal roads, drainage, beautification, and hospitality. A remarkable size of these projects are already ahead of the schedule, where other projects are awaiting final design to be tendered. After commissioning of the New Hamad Port in Messaeed, the old port area undergoes a complete re-design to be transformed into a state-of-the-art hospitality and entertainment development, which shall be integrated with the national museum park and the Islamic museum area. Hamad Medical Corporation in cooperation with Ashghal is implementing a big healthcare portfolio that includes the construction of the new medical city and tertiary hospitals, the projects are currently in planning stage, and ECG is proud to be part among others in such a huge project.

How do you expect the profile of your clients to evolve in the medium term?

More than 80% of ECG’s current projects are governmental in nature. At the same time, we keep an excellent track record of major private developments and landmark projects. We do not expect big changes in our client portfolio, though we will keep our involvement in different construction sectors in Qatar including healthcare, education, hospitality, beautification, and infrastructure, with a major emphasis on governmental projects. Our clients’ portfolio includes Ashghal, Kahramaa, QP, MME, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Transportation, Aspire, Supreme Committee for Legacy and Delivery, Doha Port, ISF, Qottayfan, and others.

What is the potential of floating construction projects in Qatar to keep the sector alive after the event?

A sustainable approach has been implemented by the Supreme Committee for delivery and legacy in all its FIFA 2022-related projects to ensure a legacy mode for all the sports facilities is included and designed ahead, which covers the after-tournament period for legacy purposes, the implementation of such mode shall start immediately after the tournament event is finished. Following the World Cup in 2022, the development of different sectors will undergo a very ambitious implementation plan to fulfill Qatar National 2030 Vision. This will include a big portfolio of infrastructure and urbanization projects. Some life examples are Al Sharq Crossing, the North Field Expansion Project, and continuing the full development of Lusail City. These portfolios involve hundreds of upcoming sustainable projects.

How will new technologies impact the engineering and architecture industries in Qatar in the medium term, and what are your plans to become more efficient and environmentally friendly?

ECG believes that the future of the construction industry can be transformed by integrating three new technology practices: applying Lean principals to construction, maintaining sustainability and green buildings goals as strategy, and using Building Information Management (BIM) tools, all aligned together. Notably, ECG is registered as one of the design and construction service providers for GSAS and green buildings in Qatar, the first consultant to register a four-star building in Lusail. With the wide implementation of the BIM system, ECG was able to provide the highest quality of integrated systems on 3D models. ECG is also one of the main recognized sponsors of the Lean construction movement in Qatar developed recently through the LCI-Q organization. Many of our engineers are certified to implement the lean construction technology in our projects, especially with the current practice to include lean specialists in many governmental projects, especially ASHGHAL mega schemes. 

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