Expanding wastewater treatment coverage across the Kingdom is one of Saudi Arabia’s core water infrastructure priorities. SHARAKAT’s sewage treatment portfolio, covering both large and small plants, is projected to grow from 1.04M m³/day in 2025 to 2.61M m³/dayby 2030. Central to that growth is a procurement model designed for both infrastructure delivery as much as commercial accessibility.
Small Sewage Treatment Plants (SSTPs), defined as those under 25,000 m³/day, address decentralised sewage handling. Individually, they are too small to attract private financing on their own. SHARAKAT’s response was strategic: bundling 139 proposed SSTPs into seven regional clusters across – Jazan, Western, Eastern, Northern, North-Western, Central, and Southern regions – fragmented infrastructure need is transformed into single transaction large enough to be financeable, opening a segment of the market to participate at this scale.
Batch vs traditional
Delivering that coverage across a country of Saudi Arabia’s size is where the real complexity lies and where the batch model was designed to serve. Saudi Arabia spans approximately 2.15 million km² making it the largest country in the Middle East with populations stretching well beyond its major cities, with smaller towns and peri-urban communities distributed across vast distances. For these communities, the answer is not large Independent Sewage Treatment Plants (ISTPs) but localised infrastructure: built close, sized right and integrated with the networks that serve them.
In SHARAKAT’s model, a batch is not a single procurement but a group set of projects under one scope, timetable and bid process, while sitting within a standardised overall procurement framework. In practice, this means multiple projects are bundled into a defined cluster and announced together.
This gives developers, contractors and financiers a visible, forward pipeline rather than a series of standalone tenders, making procurement efficient for both sides. It also allows developers and contractors to plan resources, teams and capital across a defined set of related projects in a single cycle.
Saudi Arabia’s first integrated SSTP/CN private contract
The Jazan cluster – the first to reach market – established the template. SSTPs and Collection Networks (CNs) were brought together under a single private sector contract, a structural first for this asset class in the Kingdom. The scope covers the full treatment system: from inlet works and primary treatment through to tertiary processing, pumping facilities, and all associated civil, mechanical, and electrical infrastructure.
Collection networks are the pipe systems that gather wastewater from homes, businesses, and streets and convey it to the treatment plant. Previously, plants and their collection networks were procured separately, often managed by different entities.
By bundling both into one agreement, the developer holds full accountability. Alkhorayef Water and Power Technologies, selected as preferred bidder for Jazan cluster, will develop 12 treatment plants alongside a 166km collection network – all under a single concession, with commercial operations targeted for Q4 2028.
Still to be awarded
With Jazan awarded, the remaining six clusters are entering procurement in two waves–Western, Eastern, and Northern forming the first wave, followed by North-Western, Central, and Southern.
Each of the remaining six clusters follows the same 25-year Build, Own, Operate, Transfer (BOOT) concession model backed by guaranteed offtake and the same financing features as SHARAKAT’s larger transactions: secure contracts and predictable revenue streams that meet international project financing criteria.
For developers building a long-term presence in the Saudi water sector, the SSTP pipeline offers a sequenced, predictable path in.
| Cluster for procurement | Cluster Treatment Capacity (m³/day) | Number of Plants | Collection Networks Length (Km) | COD |
| Jazan Region: Jazan | 74,700 | 12 | 166 (Main Line) | 2028 |
| Western Region: Mecca | 80,500 | 20 | 1,734 | 2029 |
| Eastern Region: Eastern Province | 23,250 | 10 | 457 | 2029 |
| Northern Region: Qassim, Hail, Al Jawf & Northern Borders | 143,000 | 33 | 3,609 | 2029 |
| North-western Region: Medina & Tabuk | 49,000 | 18 | 1,177 | 2030 |
| Central Region: Riyadh | 91,000 | 21 | 2,333 | 2030 |
| Southern Region: Al Baha, Aseer & Najran | 60,000 | 25 | 4,125 | 2030 |
| Total | 521,450 | 139 | 13,601 | 2028-2030 |
Together, the seven clusters represent a programme of national scale. The batch model does not just deliver pipes and plants; it creates a repeatable PPP framework that transforms wastewater into a national portfolio opportunity. With pre-qualified developers and open bidding pipeline, Saudi Arabia’s decentralised infrastructure era has begun.
SHARAKAT pre-qualification programme
SHARAKAT’s pre-qualification programme is open to both local and international developers across all projects, with the aim of streamlining the qualification process. The programme establishes a list of pre-qualified developers and bidders with Request for Proposals (RFPs) for upcoming projects issued directly to those on the list. Once qualified, developers can participate across all clusters or wider projects without reapplying for each, reducing the cost and time of market entry. The programme also provides visibility of other pre-qualified developers and bidders, giving the teams the information they need to identify potential consortium partners early, a critical advantage in structuring competitive bids and meeting project financing requirements.
In a market built on repeat participation, pre-qualification is less a gateway and more a foundation–the key to positioning across all projects, not just one.
The programme reopens periodically with the next registration window expected in Q3 2026. For the latest project announcements and tender updates, developers can follow SHARAKAT’s official website, social media and other media outlets. www.sharakat.com.sa
