{"id":23290,"date":"2026-11-12T15:58:58","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T12:58:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/sa\/media-center\/"},"modified":"2026-11-12T15:58:58","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T12:58:58","slug":"riyadh-ripc-contractor-accreditation-2027-news-en","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/sa\/media-center\/riyadh-ripc-contractor-accreditation-2027-news-en\/","title":{"rendered":"Riyadh Infrastructure Contractor Accreditation Mandatory from 1 January 2027"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"23290\" class=\"elementor elementor-23290 elementor-23289 elementor-bc-flex-widget\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1d4ffa2 e-con-full az-el-article e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"1d4ffa2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fe24533 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"fe24533\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"azn-head\"><div class=\"azn-brand\"><span class=\"azn-tag\">AZEIDK Intelligence<\/span><span class=\"azn-line\">We track the change before it reaches your site<\/span><\/div><div class=\"azn-meta\"><span>Market &amp; Projects<\/span><span>Riyadh Infrastructure Projects Center<\/span><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3a329db elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3a329db\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"az-intro\">On 1 November 2026 the Riyadh Infrastructure Projects Center (RIPC) reminded contractors that mandatory technical accreditation takes effect on 1 January 2027, 60 days after the announcement, as reported by Al-Madina citing the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), and by Okaz. From that date, Riyadh infrastructure contractor accreditation becomes a basic requirement for executing infrastructure project works in the Riyadh region, and entities without it will not be allowed to carry out those works.<\/p>\n<p>The rule concerns contractors in roads, water, electricity and telecommunications, and the subcontractors who work under them. For anyone running telecom ducts, fiber or power cables in streets and road rights-of-way, it directly touches the <a href=\"\/en\/sa\/solutions\/network-communication-systems\/\">network and communication systems<\/a> work that connects buildings to the utility grid.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3d1049a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3d1049a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"az-keybox\"><h2>Key takeaways<\/h2><ul><li>Technical accreditation by the Riyadh Infrastructure Projects Center is mandatory from 1 January 2027.<\/li><li>After that date, only entities accredited by the Center may execute infrastructure project works in the Riyadh region.<\/li><li>Evaluation weights: technical and operational capability 55%, financial stability 25%, professional experience record 20%.<\/li><li>According to law firm Pinsent Masons, the framework covers main contractors and subcontractors in roads, water, electricity, telecommunications, drainage, street lighting and related works.<\/li><li>The same firm says permit issuance is linked to accreditation status, so contractors are advised to finish the requirements before the deadline.<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-294d5bb elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"294d5bb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Riyadh infrastructure contractor accreditation: scope and evaluation criteria<\/h2>\n<p>The stated aim is to raise execution efficiency and confirm that each contractor has the technical, operational and financial capacity to meet quality, safety and sustainability standards on infrastructure projects. The Center assesses contractors on three weighted areas:<\/p>\n<div class=\"az-table-wrap\"><table><thead><tr><th>Evaluation area<\/th><th>Weight<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Technical and operational capability<\/td><td>55%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Financial stability<\/td><td>25%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Professional experience record<\/td><td>20%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\n<p>ARY News reported the same weights on 2 October 2026, when 90 days remained. A Pinsent Masons briefing dated 7 October 2026 adds that the framework also looks at compliance performance, with eligibility tied to indicators such as health and safety performance, quality management, financial resilience and proven delivery experience. The firm describes accreditation as a market access requirement rather than an administrative step, and notes that it follows the Infrastructure Projects Code Guide the Center issued in 2025.<\/p>\n<p>The published sources do not describe the application channel, the time needed to complete accreditation or any fees. Check these points directly with the Center and its official channels.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8ff88b6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8ff88b6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>What does this mean for the Saudi market?<\/h2>\n<p>Riyadh has a large volume of excavation and cable works in public streets, and most of it runs on permits. Linking permits to accreditation means a non-accredited contractor can be shut out of a project even with a signed contract. Three groups should act now:<\/p>\n<ul><li><strong>Main contractors:<\/strong> review the company file against the three areas, starting with technical and operational capability, which carries more than half the weight.<\/li><li><strong>Subcontractors:<\/strong> telecom, power and street lighting subcontractors working under a main contractor are covered according to Pinsent Masons. An accredited main contractor is not enough on its own.<\/li><li><strong>Owners and developers:<\/strong> any project with utility connections or telecom routes in the road right-of-way after 1 January 2027 needs every executing party&#8217;s accreditation checked before award, not after.<\/li><\/ul>\n<p>This accreditation is separate from government contractor classification and from Saudi Contractors Authority membership. We explain the difference between those two in <a href=\"\/en\/sa\/media-center\/saudi-contractors-authority-classification-muqawil\/\">Contractor Classification in Saudi Arabia vs Muqawil Membership<\/a>. None of the sources says RIPC accreditation replaces either of them.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9020840 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9020840\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"azn-take\"><h2>AZEIDK Expert Take<\/h2><p>If you are an owner or consultant on a Riyadh project, add a tender clause asking for proof of RIPC accreditation from the contractor and its subcontractors for any work outside the plot boundary, such as the fiber link from the building telecom room to the operator network or the power cable run to the transformer. Work inside the building, such as structured cabling and low-current systems, is not named in the sources, so confirm coverage with the Center case by case. For contractors, the technical area measures capability, safety and quality, which is where documented management systems such as ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 help. AZEIDK holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certificates, and we explain what they mean in <a href=\"\/en\/sa\/media-center\/iso-certificates-contractors-saudi\/\">ISO Certificates for Companies and Contractors in Saudi Arabia<\/a>. If you need to separate in-building telecom scope from infrastructure scope in a contract, see <a href=\"\/en\/sa\/solutions\/network-communication-systems\/\">AZEIDK network and communication systems<\/a> and our article on <a href=\"\/en\/sa\/media-center\/general-contracting-companies-riyadh\/\">general contracting companies in Riyadh<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0a90392 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0a90392\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"azn-sources\"><h2>Sources<\/h2><ol><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.al-madina.com\/article\/1011489\/\u0645\u062d\u0644\u064a\u0627\u062a\/\u0645\u0631\u0643\u0632-\u0627\u0644\u0628\u0646\u064a\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u062a\u062d\u062a\u064a\u0629-\u0628\u0627\u0644\u0631\u064a\u0627\u0636-60-\u064a\u0648\u0645\u0627-\u0645\u062a\u0628\u0642\u064a\u0629-\u0639\u0644\u0649-\u0628\u062f\u0621-\u062a\u0637\u0628\u064a\u0642-\u0627\u0644\u0627\u0639\u062a\u0645\u0627\u062f-\u0627\u0644\u0641\u0646\u064a-\u0627\u0644\u0625\u0644\u0632\u0627\u0645\u064a-\u0644\u0644\u0645\u0642\u0627\u0648\u0644\u064a\u0646\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Riyadh Infrastructure Center: 60 days left before mandatory technical accreditation for contractors (in Arabic)<\/a>, Al-Madina citing SPA, 1 November 2026<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.okaz.com.sa\/local\/na\/2273429\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">60 days until mandatory contractor accreditation: experience, capability and financial stability (in Arabic)<\/a>, Okaz, 1 November 2026<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pinsentmasons.com\/out-law\/news\/riyadh-mandates-infrastructure-contractor-accreditation-2027\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Riyadh mandates infrastructure contractor accreditation from 2027<\/a>, Pinsent Masons (Out-Law), 7 October 2026<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/arynews.tv\/riyadh-moves-to-mandatory-accreditation-for-infrastructure-contractors\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Riyadh moves to mandatory accreditation for infrastructure contractors<\/a>, ARY News, 2 October 2026<\/li><\/ol><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Riyadh infrastructure contractor accreditation is mandatory from 1 January 2027: 55% technical, 25% financial, 20% experience weights, and who is covered.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":23263,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[258],"tags":[],"azeidk_region":[223],"class_list":["post-23290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23290"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23290\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23290"},{"taxonomy":"azeidk_region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azeidkgroup.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/azeidk_region?post=23290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}