MUSCAT : Oman has achieved cumulative financial savings of around RO 280 million through efforts to strengthen the governance, cost control and management of government projects, the Projects, Tenders and Local Content Authority has said.

Of the total savings, approximately RO 70 million was achieved by mid-2026, as the Authority intensified reviews of project costs, scopes and implementation mechanisms while introducing tighter controls across different stages of the project lifecycle.

The Authority said the implementation of the document cycle and phased assurance gateways has helped improve the readiness of government projects before they move from one stage to another.

So far, around 70 government projects have benefited from the system, with approximately 160 phased assurance gateways applied to verify whether required conditions, documents and outputs have been completed before projects are allowed to progress.

The initiative forms part of a broader system aimed at improving the efficiency of government project management, ensuring better use of available resources, maintaining adherence to approved budgets, maximising the impact of government expenditure and reducing costly change orders.

The Authority also reported a significant decline in change orders relating to development projects.

Engineer Abdullah bin Humaid Al Habsi, Head of the Projects Follow-up Office at the Projects, Tenders and Local Content Authority, said the document cycle and regulations governing government projects marked a shift from different procedures and practices across entities towards a single regulatory framework.

He said the framework governs a project from its initial preparation and planning stages through implementation and final closure, while clearly defining requirements, responsibilities and review points at every stage.

According to Al Habsi, the system was developed following a study of the existing government project management framework, which identified several operational and organisational challenges.

These included multiple procedures, overlapping responsibilities, weak performance indicators, shortcomings in identifying and mitigating risks, and the absence of a unified methodology for managing government projects.

The preparation process involved analysing existing procedures, reviewing international, regional and local best practices, studying gaps in the system and drawing on leading government project-management models.

The resulting framework was designed specifically to meet the requirements and nature of government projects in the Sultanate of Oman.

The document cycle was also developed through a participatory approach involving relevant government entities, alongside technical, financial and legal specialists. The Authority said this helped ensure that the procedures reflected the actual requirements of government agencies and could be implemented effectively.

The system was incorporated into the Regulations for Organising Government Projects issued under Resolution No. 169/2023, together with circulars relating to assurance gateways and government spending efficiency, as well as a Ministry of Finance circular linking contract signing to the assurance gateway process.

Under the system, government projects with an estimated budget of RO 500,000 or more must pass through phased assurance gateways before progressing between stages.

These gateways allow authorities to assess whether a project is sufficiently prepared to advance and whether the necessary requirements and deliverables have been completed.

The mechanism also strengthens proactive oversight by identifying potential risks and challenges at an early stage, allowing corrective measures to be taken before a project reaches a more advanced and potentially more costly phase.

Interim assessments are also intended to improve the quality of information available to decision-makers, enhance the efficient use of resources, improve project outputs and reduce the likelihood of delays or failure.

The Authority said the approach has strengthened the concept of phased project governance, with oversight no longer concentrated only on the implementation stage.

Instead, assessments begin during planning and preparation and continue through the entire project lifecycle until closure.

The document cycle applies to all government projects and is intended to standardise practices, improve transparency and governance, and establish a more integrated environment for managing project-related procedures and data.

The Authority said the wider national value of the system lies in creating a unified reference for project management, improving planning and implementation, maximising value from public expenditure and increasing the efficiency of resource management.

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