Saudi Government Procurement: The £150 Billion Opportunity
Saudi Arabia's government procurement market is one of the largest in the world. With $196 billion in mega-project contracts, 15 new stadiums for the FIFA 2034 World Cup, and Vision 2030 driving unprecedented infrastructure investment, the volume of government tenders is at historic levels.
For UK companies, this represents an enormous opportunity. The UK government has actively promoted Saudi market entry, with UK Export Finance signing a £4-5 billion MoU with PIF (Public Investment Fund) to support British companies engaging in the Saudi market. Over 1,300 UK firms already operate in the Kingdom.
But winning Saudi government contracts requires one non-negotiable step: every single page of your tender submission must be in Arabic. The Government Tenders and Procurement Law (GTPL) is unambiguous — Arabic is the only acceptable language for all tender documents, correspondence, and post-award contract management.
This is not a formality. Saudi procurement evaluators read and score your submission in Arabic. A poorly translated technical proposal can cost you a multi-million-pound contract. A financial bid with translation errors in the pricing schedule can lead to disqualification or, worse, a binding contract at the wrong price.
