Sharakat Awards for the years 2024 and 2025.
About the Award
Held under the patronage of H.E. the Minister of MEWA and Chairman of the Board of Directors, The SHARAKAT Award is a national platform that recognizes its successful partners and celebrates outstanding and pioneering projects that have set leading benchmarks while contributing to the advancement and sustainability of Saudi Arabia’s water sector, reflecting the value of effective public-private partnerships.
- Award Objectives
• Foster a culture of excellence and leadership across the water sector.
• Recognize outstanding achievements in water projects.
• Encourage healthy competition based on the highest standards.
• Strengthen partnerships and investment in the water sector.
• Enhance the efficiency and sustainability of water projects.
• Contribute to achieving the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030
Terms
Award Requirements
Awards
Registration
Coverages
| This category recognizes projects that achieve the fastest adjusted financial close while maintaining disciplined CP management and a clean financial close package. |
Developers are evaluated based on :
Commercial Close Date – CC: The date when Commercial Close was achieved and the Financial Close period starts.
Financial Close Date – FC: The date when Financial Close was achieved.
Total Days to Financial Close: Measures the total number of days between Commercial Close and Financial Close.
SWPC / Approved Delay Impact: Excludes delay days attributable to SWPC or other approved external factors.
Project Type: Assesses whether the project represents a pioneering PPP transaction, such as the first successful ISWR or IWTP project.
| This category recognizes projects that demonstrate excellence in financing structure, lender participation, debt service coverage, risk allocation, hedging strategy |
Developers are evaluated based on :
- Debt Service Coverage Ratio – DSCR: Assesses the project’s ability to generate sufficient cash flow to cover debt service obligations.
- Banks / Lenders Participation: Assesses the number, diversity, and strength of participating banks and financial institutions.
- Participating and Development Entities: Assesses the strength, credibility, and participation of developers, sponsors, and financing entities.
- Hedging Strategy: Assesses the effectiveness of the hedging strategy in managing interest rate and financing-related risks.
- First-of-Kind Project Type: Assesses whether the project represents a first-of-its-kind development, such as a new desalination plant, transmission pipeline, strategic storage facility, or other pioneering infrastructure asset.
- Financing Risk Allocation: Assesses how effectively financing risks are allocated, mitigated, and managed within the financing structure, based on a predefined financing risk allocation checklist.
- Project Value / Financing Size: Assesses the scale and significance of the financing achieved relative to the project’s value and complexity.
| This category focuses on excellence in project execution, commercial readiness, health and safety, technical efficiency, stakeholder preparedness, and contractual compliance. |
Developers are evaluated based on :
Schedule Performance & Commercial Readiness:
- Completion Duration : Measures achievement of project completion within the approved schedule. = Planned Duration ÷ Actual Duration × 100
- Settlement System Readiness : Measures readiness of settlement, metering, and operational handover systems before COD.
Health & Safety Performance of the project company & EPC During Construction:
- No Lost Time Injury (LTI) : Measures achievement of zero lost-time injuries during project execution.
- No Incident : Measures achievement of zero reportable incidents.
- No Fatality : Measures achievement of zero fatalities throughout project execution.
Design Optimization & Performance Realism:
- Area Utilization Factor : Measures the efficiency of land utilization by calculating production capacity per unit of plant area = Production Capacity ÷ Plant Area >= 4 for excellent land utilization
- Design Energy Realism Index (DERI) : Measures how closely the guaranteed/projected SPC submitted during bidding aligns with the actual operating SPC achieved after commercial operation. Should be equal or less 1 − abs(Actual SPC − Projected SPC) ÷ Projected SPC
Permits & Stakeholder Readiness:
- Construction Permit Readiness : All main Stakeholder permits on time
| This category focuses on recognizing private sector wastewater treatment plants that demonstrate strong contractual compliance, reliable operations, effluent quality performance, and disciplined reporting. |
Developers are evaluated based on :
Schedule Performance & Commercial Readiness:
- Completion Duration : Measures achievement of project completion within the approved schedule. = Planned Duration ÷ Actual Duration × 100
- Settlement System Readiness : Measures readiness of settlement, metering, and operational handover systems before COD.
Health & Safety Performance of the project company & EPC During Construction:
- No Lost Time Injury (LTI) : Measures achievement of zero lost-time injuries during project execution.
- No Incident : Measures achievement of zero reportable incidents.
- No Fatality : HSES = Weighted Score of LTI + Incident + Fatality Performance
Design Optimization & Performance Realism:
- Area Utilization Factor : Measures the efficiency of land utilization by calculating production capacity per unit of plant area = Production Capacity ÷ Plant Area >= 1 for excellent land utilization
- Design Energy Realism Index (DERI) : Measures how closely the guaranteed/projected SPC submitted during bidding aligns with the actual operating SPC achieved after commercial operation. Should be equal or less 1 − abs(Actual SPC − Projected SPC) ÷ Projected SPC
Permits & Stakeholder Readiness:
- Construction Permit Readiness: All main Stakeholder permits on time
| This category focuses on ensuring the project’s compliance with Reliability and Operational Performance standards and requirements. |
Developers are evaluated based on :
Contractual & Operational Compliance:
- Licenses and Permits Obligations Compliance – LPOC : Measures compliance with necessary licenses and permits required by regulatory authorities = (Achieved Licenses and Permits / Total Licenses and Permits) * 100.
- O&M Obligations Compliance – OMOC : Measures compliance with operational and maintenance obligations = (Achieved O&M Obligations / Total O&M Obligations) * 100.
- Invoicing and Accounting Obligations Compliance – IAOC : Assesses adherence to invoicing and accounting standards required by SWPC = (Achieved Invoicing and Accounting Obligations / Total Invoicing and Accounting Obligations) * 100.
- Metering Obligations Compliance – MOC : Evaluates compliance with metering requirements set forth in the contractual agreement = (Achieved Metering Obligations / Total Metering Obligations) * 100.
Reliability & Availability:
- Plant Availability Factor – PAF : Calculates the percentage of time the plant is operational and available for production = Available Capacity Hours /Total Period Hours * 100
- Plant MCR Efficiency Factor – PEF : Evaluates the plant’s maximum continuous rating (MCR) efficiency = Actual Production During MCR Test / (Contract Capacity * Test Duration) * 100
- Plant Reliability Factor – PRF : Measures the reliability of the plant in meeting production targets without failures = 100% – FOF
- Forced Outage Factor – FOF : Measures the percentage of plant availability lost due to unplanned or unexpected failures =Outage Duration Hours Total Period Hours * 100
Energy Consumption Efficiency:
- SPC Realism / Projection Accuracy Score : Measures plant efficiency while also rewarding realistic SPC projection and penalizing large deviations between projected and actual SPC. = 1 −( abs(Actual SPC − Projected SPC) ÷ Projected SPC)
Quality & Reporting:
- Product Quality Compliance Factor – QCF : Assesses the quality of products produced against specified standards = (( Total Number of Product Quality Reports – Non Compliant Product Quality Reports) / Total Number of Product Quality Reports)*100.
- Reporting Quality Score -RQS : Measures the quality of required reports based on timing commitment, accuracy, completeness, and reporting standards = (Annual Reports Score (20%)+ Otage reports Score(15%) + RCA Reports Score(40%)+ Daily Reports Score(25%)
| This category focuses on ensuring the project’s compliance with Reliability and Operational Performance standards and requirements. |
Developers are evaluated based on :
– Contractual & Operational Compliance:
- O&M Obligations Compliance (OMOC) : Measures compliance with operational and maintenance obligations = (Achieved O&M Obligations / Total O&M Obligations) * 100.
- Invoicing & Accounting Compliance (IAOC) : Assesses adherence to invoicing and accounting standards required by SWPC = (Achieved Invoicing and Accounting Obligations / Total Invoicing and Accounting Obligations) * 100.
– Plant Availability & Utilization:
- Plant Utilization Factor (PUF) : Actual Production ÷ Available Production Capacity × 100
- Contracted Capacity Availability (CCA) : Delivered Water Capacity ÷ Contracted Capacity × 100
– Water Quality:
- Product Quality Compliance Factor (QCF) : Accepted water quantity/ total production water × 100
– Reporting & Operational Governance:
| This category focuses on excellence in project execution, commercial readiness, health and safety, technical efficiency, stakeholder preparedness, and contractual compliance. |
Developers are evaluated based on :
– Contractual & Operational Compliance:
- Licenses and Permits Obligations Compliance – LPOC : Measures compliance with necessary licenses and permits required by regulatory authorities = (Achieved Licenses and Permits / Total Licenses and Permits) * 100.
- O&M Obligations Compliance – OMOC : Measures compliance with operational and maintenance obligations = (Achieved O&M Obligations / Total O&M Obligations) * 100.
- Invoicing and Accounting Obligations Compliance – IAOC : Assesses adherence to invoicing and accounting standards required by SWPC = (Achieved Invoicing and Accounting Obligations / Total Invoicing and Accounting Obligations) * 100.
- Metering Obligations Compliance – MOC : Evaluates compliance with metering requirements set forth in the contractual agreement = (Achieved Metering Obligations / Total Metering Obligations) * 100.
- Corrective Action Closure Compliance – CACC : Evaluates compliance with closure of raised observations and corrections action = (Raised operational and contracual observation / Total closure and corrective actions raised) * 100.
- Reporting Quality, Data Completeness & Accuracy – RQDCA : Measures reporting completeness, timeliness and accuracy.
– Effluent Quality & Environmental Compliance:
- Effluent Quality Compliance Factor – EQCF : Measures compliance with treated effluent quality requirements = ((Total Samples − Non-Compliant Samples) ÷ Total Samples) × 100
- Environmental Compliance Score – ECS : Measures compliance with NCES and MEWA
– Availability & Performance:
| This category evaluates social, economic, and community impact through Saudi employment, capability building, local content, and measurable community initiatives. |
Developers are evaluated based on :
– Social Impact:
- Saudization & Inclusive Employment SIE : Measures Saudi employment with additional recognition for women participation and employment of people with disabilities.
60% Saudization % + 20% Women Participation + 20% People with Disabilities Employment - Training & Capability Building TCB : Measures structured training provided to Saudi employees, including technical, operational, and leadership training.
60% Training Completion + 25% Technical Training + 15% Certification / Competency Evidence - Succession & Career Progression SCP : Measures whether the company has a clear succession plan and actual progression of Saudi employees into critical, supervisory, or leadership roles.
40% Succession Plan Availability + 40% Actual Saudi Progression + 20% Critical Role Coverage
– Economic Impact:
- Local Content Achievement LCA : Measures local content contribution using scorecard achievement, audited local content results, and verified local procurement / supplier contribution.
40% LC Scorecard Achievement + 40% Audited LC Result + 20% Local Procurement / Supplier Evidence
– Community Impact:
- Community Initiatives & Beneficiaries CIB : Measures verified community initiatives, number of beneficiaries, continuity, measurable outcomes, and supporting evidence.
40% Number of Beneficiaries + 25% Continuity + 25% Measurable Outcome + 10% Evidence Quality
| This category recognizes projects that demonstrate sustainability, environmental efficiency, and implemented innovation. |
Developers are evaluated based on :
– Environmental & Sustainability Impact:
- Energy Efficiency Improvement (EEI) : Measures improvement in energy consumption and energy-related carbon emissions per m³ of water produced or treated.
Energy Improvement = (Baseline SPC − Actual SPC) ÷ Baseline SPC × 100 - Greening Coverage of Available Open Area (GCAOA) : Measures how much of the plant’s available open area has been converted into verified green/landscaped area.
Greening Coverage % = Greened Area m² ÷ Available Open Area m² × 100 - Byproducts & Waste Circularity Improvement (BWCI) : Measures improvement in managing byproducts and operational waste, such as sludge, brine, membranes, and other operational waste streams.
Circularity Improvement = (Actual Beneficial Use % − Baseline Beneficial Use %) ÷ Baseline Beneficial Use × 100
– Mature and Implemented Innovation:
- Applied Innovation Maturity – AIM : Measures whether the innovation addresses a relevant water-sector challenge, provides a novel or adapted solution compared with normal practice in water projects, and has been practically implemented in the plant.
AIM = 30% Strategic Relevance + 25% Innovation / Adaptation Novelty + 45% Implementation Maturity - Verified Operational / Business Impact – VOI : Measures the verified impact of the innovation on operations, cost, reliability, safety, quality, maintenance, or project performance.
VOI = 60% Operational Impact + 30% Financial / Business Impact + 10% Evidence & Sustainability - Replicability & Scalability – RS : Measures whether the solution can be transferred to other plants or projects with reasonable cost, effort, and knowledge transfer.
RS = 40% Applicability to Other Plants + 30% Implementation Simplicity + 20% Cost Scalability + 10% Lessons Learned Package - Innovation Enablement & Culture – IEC : Measures the company’s structured efforts to encourage innovation, such as innovation programs, employee idea channels, internal challenges, recognition schemes, pilot support, and management sponsorship.
IEC =30% Formal Innovation Program + 25% Employee Participation + 20% Management Sponsorship + 15% Pilot / Experiment Support + 10% Recognition & Knowledge Sharing
Contact us:
- ِAward@swpc.sa
- SHARAKAT_SA