With responsibility for generating national revenue and facilitating cross-border trade with Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Zakat Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) has a portfolio integral to the economic objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
These Kingdom-wide objectives include improving the safety, security, speed and ease of movement of people and goods across land borders, within the wider context of diversifying the economy and reinforcing the Kingdom’s position as a global logistics hub.
The remit is huge, and the reality was that on inception, ZATCA (previously Saudi Customs) had inherited over 60 legacy infrastructure projects across 14 land ports and other Customs facilities at various stages of development. The value of the legacy projects in their incomplete state was over US$ 2 billion.
In response, AECOM was appointed in 2018 to establish, mobilize and manage an Entity Program Management Office (EPMO) – an integrated team comprising ZATCA and AECOM colleagues – to drive the transformation of land ports across the Kingdom by pioneering international best practices in the design, development and operation of port infrastructure.
We were engaged to create a holistic approach with a uniform strategy that satisfied the requirements of nearly 40 stakeholders, each with various levels of influence and, often, competing interests.
Our team of experts delivered an array of professional services across the entire project lifecycle, from strategic planning, design, engineering review to procurement, construction management, testing and commissioning and operational readiness. This global pool of expertise was combined with a rigorous knowledge transfer program to develop and empower junior Saudi colleagues, in alignment with the Kingdom’s ongoing commitment to enabling the younger generations to contribute to the post-oil economy.
A key program priority was formulating a new Land Port Prototype Design and Concept of Operations (CONOPS) embodying the concept of SMART borders (Secure, Measurable, Automated, Risk-management-based, and Technology-driven) as advocated by the World Customs Organization. The initiative was an EPMO proof-of-concept, guiding and influencing the detailed design, construction, and eventual operation of land border crossings Kingdom-wide.
Mazin Husari, EPMO Program Director, commented “The new Land Port prototype and CONOPS provide the optimum balance between security and trade facilitation. They combine an enhanced customer experience with an exceptional environment for travelers and port employees, which boldly state to the world that Saudi Arabia is open for business.”
The development of state-of-the-art land ports is the literal and metaphorical gateway to Saudi Arabia’s achievement of its 2030 Vision of economic modernization and greater globalization, and despite the challenges presented by COVID to the project’s objectives, the EPMO has delivered, and continues to deliver, on these ambitions.
In three years, the joint AECOM/ZATCA EPMO has completed 58 legacy projects. The dramatic reduction in backlog has enabled ZATCA to put its invested capital to work while adding value operationally and financially.
The goal of continuously improving EPMO performance, ensuring long-term organizational sustainability, is already in reach, with the ZATCA EPMO establishing itself as an extraordinarily high-performing team, consistently creating exceptional value while demonstrating international best practices.