Odd One Out
Here’s a press release from Abu Dhabi, can you pick out the country that does not belong?
The Abu Dhabi Transport Department has drawn up a list of companies from the US, the UK, Australia, Lebanon, France, Spain and Denmark which will compete for the role of consultant to the capital’s metro project. The winning firm will carry out a feasibility study, provide initial and detailed designs for the network, stations, safety and security systems and electronic control systems and supervise the eventual construction of the metro. ADTD will award the contract to the selected company once it receives approval from the emirate’s Executive Council.
I’m curious to know how a Lebanese company got into the list? Wouldn’t it be useful to have the company actually build a metro? Honestly, I don’t know which company it is but I am pretty sure that not a single Lebanese consultant has worked on a mass transport project of this nature. I can tell you, its no SimCity.
Update – September 16, 2009: I’ve got the Lebanese company in question: Dar al-Handasah (Shair & Partners). Now here is where I have conflicting information. On one site, its reported that Dar al-Handasah has a joint-venture agreement with Spain’s Ineco Tifsa. However, Middle East Tenders is reporting that Dar al-Handasha has a JV not only with Ineco Tifsa but also with France’s Egist and Spain’s Gestisa.
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Comments
“…CCC which is Lebanese…” – I know my Palestinian friends would consider that statement high objectionable 
I agree there are lots of great Lebanese contractors and consultants and if they were going to build a 10 residential communities, a 100-storey skyscraper, or a 100,000 square meter mall, I wouldn’t have any objections. But when it comes to a rail system, the other countries mentioned all have one. Lebanon doesn’t. Abu Dhabi is looking for someone with expertise to tell it what to do. I just don’t want to end up where we have the blind leading the blind.
Hypothetically, if Utopiastan wanted to build a nuclear power plant and they short-listed the potential candidates to three companies, an American, French and a Lebanese, wouldn’t that seem odd to you?
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I’ve found the Lebanese company!
See original post.
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Hehe I agree with your opinion, but the following question arises in my mind: could it be possible that Dar al-Handasah got some experience in building railways and metros outside of Lebanon?
The company is one of the top Engineering companies in the world, and got offices in more than 40 countries. A quick look at their website (www.dargroup.com) shows that one of their services is ‘Transportation’, and they are actually R&H’s holding company (R&H is one of Africa’s largest private rail consultants). So I think it might be possible for them have the required experience.
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I agree, once you dig into the issue, the choice starts making sense. But at face-value, Lebanon just seemed out of place.
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Actually you’d be quite suprised. Lebanese EPC (Engineering Procurement & Construction) companies are doing quite good for themselves in the Gulf and theyve built themselves a very strong reputation for delivering quality projects on time. I could name CCC which is Lebanese but operates from Greece, Medgulf which is Hariri’s, and Lahoud Engineering which is Nassib Lahoud’s.