MUSCAT: Facilitated by Zubair Small Enterprises Centre (Zubair SEC), its member-owned company Meezah Engineering Project Management Consultancy and real estate development firm INMA have signed a contract for project management services.

The contract has been signed in line with Zubair SEC’s strategy to facilitate business development opportunities for its members and build business synergies between large companies and small enterprises in the Sultanate, says a press release.

INMA – one of The Zubair Group companies - is a leading real estate development, investment and asset management company, while Meezah Engineering Project Management Consultancy is a small enterprise founded by Zubair SEC member Baidal Al Zadjali and specialises in providing project management and consultancy services with focus on the construction sector and other vital sectors.

As per the contract with INMA, Meezah will be working very closely with INMA on four different projects across Muscat and will provide project management services for a period of one year. The scope of work will include project management, commercial management, local authority liai- son and tendering.

Commenting about the contract signing, Adel Al Hubaishi, senior adviser at Zubair SEC said, “The good ties and relations of Zubair SEC with leading corporations and organisations in the Sultanate and with The Zubair Group companies are a major asset that we capitalise on when providing business development support to our members. The diversity of sectors in which such organisations operate provides a rich platform through which we can channel different small business to offer their services and products.” He added, “We are happy to see our members delivering and exceeding expectations as they proceed with executing those projects, while we commit to keep extending to them all support possible.”

Expressing her gratitude to Zubair SEC, Baida Al Zadjali, founder of Meezah Engineering Project Management Consultancy said, “Small businesses are the foundation for strong economic development. We have clearly witnessed how supporting growth and boosting capability of SMEs is a key part of Zubair SEC’s work in the Sultanate. Zubair SEC’s decision to provide opportunities for SMEs like Meezah is crucial for our progress.

“We consider it a great opportunity to be contracted by a large real estate company as INMA. I would like to assure INMA that client satisfaction will remain our top priority. Through this partnership, Meezah hopes to make a mark in the project management services sector.”

Maimunah Shebani, Planning and Business Development manager at INMA said, “We are committed to support Omani businesses by providing them with opportunities that will allow them to grow and develop. We look forward to exploring how we can work further with SMEs to support sustainable economic growth in the Oman by identifying new ways to help smaller companies prosper and develop.”

Zubair SEC, a social responsibility initiative of The Zubair Corporation has facilitated similar business development opportunities for its members in the past. It strongly believes that the support of large organisations to SMEs, mainly through business development and contract opportunities, is of the greatest importance to the development and success of the SME sector. So far, Zubair SEC has facilitated more than eight contracts and agreements between its members and companies within the Zubair Group and outside it.

Previously known as Zubair Real Estate & Hospitality, INMA is now an independent group within The Zubair Corporation. The multicultural leadership team at INMA has many years of international experience in the development of corporate real estate strategies, real estate consultancy, management and investment and asset management.

Baida al Zadjali - Partner-Senior project manager, Meezah

It is true that the current environment may seem challenging, however the greatest opportunities and ideas are mostly born in the most challenging times. Challenge drives innovation and change requires adaptation.

We are well aware that the basic drivers for economic growth desperately need to be improved. Recently, they have been mentioned, studied and discussed in many forums, programmes and initiatives. The government realises what needs to be done but the implementation is being delayed due to various factors that are too wide and complex to be discussed here. Meanwhile businesses fear that some of these initiatives might adversely affect the business environment rather than improving it if not implemented correctly.

In my opinion, the required change can be achieved in a more organic fashion and the SME community can contribute to this and introduce them via innovating, creating and becoming more automated and technology driven. The entrepreneurial culture must be further advanced to encourage innovation and ‘out of the box’ thinking. The industrial and contracting market might need to invest in automation that will give long-term returns, quality products and create new markets.

On the technology front, we have to launch more initiatives like the SAS incubator to push the information technology envelope forward. Another driver of growth is the service industry. Our limited population, rich cultural heritage, geographical location and other various factors support creating more service industries. This will create more skilled jobs that are both attractive and sustainable and also shift the current market conditions while successfully utilising the natural resources we have and maximising the human capital potential.

At Meezah, we haven't faced much difficulties as one might expect because of the fact that we simply provided a unique service offering that is lacking in the market, in other words, we were innovative. More importantly, we understand that changing markets means adapting to new conditions and possibly tapping into completely new areas by applying our core skills where they are needed.