Spanish companies looking for work on Oman's section of the GCC railway have already formed alliances with businesses in the sultanate as they vie for upcoming tenders.
As a delegation from Spain arrives in the sultanate for the third leg of a GCC visit, nine companies in the grouping have already begun partnering local companies as they search for new markets.
The visit is being organised by the Spanish Association of Manufacturers and Exporters of Equipment and Services for the Railway Industry (MAFEX).
Maria Padilla, trade officer at the Spanish Economic and Trade Office in the sultanate, told Muscat Daily that companies have already formed consortiums with counterparts in Oman as they start to work through the pre-qualification processes for early tenders.
She said, "They are doing it already. There is a lot of pre-qualification work that has to be done. There are already a lot of consortiums between Spanish and Omani companies, and hopefully they will be selected."
Although the decisions and tenders for a lot of the work are unlikely to be issued for a number of years, Padilla said Spanish companies are still visiting in order to make local contacts and assess the Omani market.
She added, "Some of the companies coming to work on the railway project are not engineering firms. They could be looking for work on the electric lines for the railway, the actual trains themselves or the security systems. It is important for them to get to know the market and for them to talk to the local firms."
Padilla said that Spanish companies will be looking to use their experience gained on projects in their home country in the sultanate. "In Spain, railways is a key sector, and the country has got a lot of experience in railway systems and high-speed trains," she added.
The delegation will make a presentation to Omani businesses and hold one-on-one meetings with prospective partners at the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) on April 13.
The Spanish businesses will be offering their services in engineering, railway equipment production, metro and tram line support, security and accident communications systems as well as the construction of structures including platforms, fencing and storage solutions.
Another delegation from the Madrid Chamber of Commerce will be visiting the sultanate from April 12, for a two-day trip, to concentrate on engineering and construction, with some of the members joining the MAFEX delegation for its OCCI presentation.
H E Jose Luis Rodello, Spain's Ambassador to Oman, said the two delegations will help to boost bilateral relations between the two countries. He said, "These trade missions will be taking place at a time of growing economic relations between Spain and Oman, and therefore they represent one further step in enhancing these ties.
© Muscat Daily 2011
