NWS Awards One of the Largest Performance-Based Contracts: What It Means for Business Growth and Investment Opportunities
Muscat: Nama Water Services (NWS) has secured one of the Middle East’s largest performance-based contracts to significantly enhance the efficiency and sustainability of Oman’s water sector. This contract marks a pivotal advancement in NWS’s institutional transformation toward more efficient, sustainable, and innovative operational models focused on performance and optimal water resource management.
The agreement covers the operation and maintenance of water and wastewater services in Muscat, as well as the North and South Sharqiyah Governorates, within the first geographical area. It also includes a comprehensive program to reduce unaccounted-for water losses across the networks.
Valued at approximately 900 million Omani rials over 15 years, the contract will serve more than 2.3 million people, accounting for around 43 percent of Oman’s population. This initiative is delivered through a partnership with the French firm Suez, the Oman Infrastructure Fund (Rakiza), and their partners including the National Trading Company and the National Energy Center.
Nama Water Services will retain its strategic role in governance, oversight, and performance management to ensure that operations align with national objectives. The contract embraces a performance-based operational model governed by 33 key performance indicators (KPIs) designed to improve asset management efficiency and service sustainability.
Qais bin Saud Al Zakwani, CEO of Nama Water Services, emphasized that the project prioritizes the empowerment of national talent via an integrated capacity-building and knowledge transfer program. The initiative upholds an Omanization rate exceeding 83 percent while promoting local content and value addition.
He highlighted that the contract represents a continuation of NWS’s development journey, modernizing operational models by adopting global best practices. This is achieved through advanced technologies, performance-driven governance, and digital innovation aimed at addressing critical sector challenges such as reducing water loss, enhancing network reliability, improving asset management efficiency, and using digital solutions, operational intelligence, and predictive analytics to foster proactive management and enhance decision-making.
The scope of water services includes operating and maintaining 240 wells, managing a 10,700-kilometer water network, distributing 470,000 cubic meters of drinking water daily, upgrading four desalination plants, and operating over 400,000 smart meters.
Wastewater services cover the operation and maintenance of 22 treatment plants with a combined capacity of 280,000 cubic meters per day, management of a 3,000-kilometer wastewater network, and oversight of 400 kilometers of treated water networks for reuse.
Al Zakwani noted that the contract targets a significant reduction in water loss, aiming to decrease it from 34 percent to 11 percent by 2040, underscoring NWS’s commitment to sustainable water management in Oman.
تحليل خاص من عمانت | تصفح سوق عُمان
This landmark 15-year, RO 900 million contract to enhance water sector efficiency in Oman signals massive opportunities for tech-driven solutions and local capacity building, with an emphasis on sustainable resource management and digital innovation. Businesses should anticipate increased demand for smart technologies and performance-based services, while investors must consider the strategic importance of water infrastructure modernization and Oman’s commitment to Omanization and local content development. Smart entrepreneurs and investors should align with national sustainability goals and explore partnerships in water tech, asset management, and digital analytics to capitalize on this transformative sector shift.
