ACTS wins material testing bid for Riyadh Metro Project

Advanced Construction Technology Services (ACTS), a consulting organisation in the field of construction materials and geotechnical engineering, has been awarded a contract to carry out testing and analysis on construction materials to be used for the Riyadh Metro Lines 1 and 2. 

The contract win with the Riyadh Metro is the second for ACTS after it has been awarded a previous assignment to carry out geotechnical and geophysical works on the two same metro lines in support of the BACS (Saudi Arabian Bechtel, Almabani General Contractors and Consolidated Contractors Company WLL and Siemens Aktiengesellschaft) Consortium. BACS is one of the three consortia that were awarded the Riyadh Metro Project by Arriyadh Development Authority, the executive arm of the High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh.

The new three-year contract will see ACTS operating one of the largest site laboratories for infrastructure in the Kingdom with the setting up of an 800 m2 laboratory space to perform the expert services required under this assignment. The laboratory is fully-equipped with state-of-the-art field testing equipment to investigate and assess related construction materials, among them concrete, soil, asphalt, shotcrete and grout. ACTS will also integrate the use of its ‘Online Concrete Pouring & Quality Control System’, a sophisticated quality control web-based program developed by the company itself, used to track, evaluate and capture data for construction materials testing. On top of these, ACTS will deploy more than 150 highly-trained professionals on three different site locations to fully complete the diverse technical expertise required under the agreement. 

ACTS was first commissioned to undertake geotechnical and geophysical works on Riyadh Metro Lines 1 and 2 under a subcontract package awarded by BACS. The work required ACTS to work on the north of Line 1, which included drilling of boreholes, logging them using optical and acoustic tele-viewers and other advanced techniques, as well as assessing the subsurface ground layers. A scientific testing program was carried out simultaneously on the extracted cores to assess soil properties. To date, ACTS’ tasks under the first agreement are almost completed. 

Christopher Daniels, Project Quality Manager, BACS, stated that “ACTS has been involved with the Riyadh Metro project since January 2014, providing Geotechnical Investigation and Materials Testing services for the BACS consortium. ACTS commitment and technical expertise gives us full confidence that we can collaborate in order to successfully achieve the performance that will be required to support the project objectives and fast track delivery.” 

Engr. Khaled Awad, Chairman of ACTS, said, “The awarding of this new contract speaks volumes about the quality services ACTS is capable of delivering. We are pleased to be given additional assignment on the Riyadh Metro and look forward to contributing further and see the ultimate completion of this landmark project. Additionally, this puts ACTS in a position to reaffirm our objective to lead the MENA region in raising the quality standards for construction, elevating the industry into a more formidable standing in global market.” 

ACTS, which has successfully established a strong presence across the Middle East, has been involved in a number of the most ambitious megaprojects in the region. In addition to the Riyadh Metro, ACTS was also commissioned to undertake quality control work on King Abdulaziz International Airport, Doha Metro and Kingdom Tower, the world’s first kilometre-high skyscraper being constructed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, among others. The company has recently opened new branches in Riyadh and Madina, in line with the group’s continuing growth strategy and with its continuing commitment to meet its strategic goals.