Saudi Arabia introduced new regulations for awarding building permits to contractors; requiring them first to register with their authorized body in the Kingdom, a report in Al-Eqtisadiah Arabic daily said on Tuesday.
The new rules introduced last week and cover high-rise commercial buildings; hospitals; hotels; mosques; sport facilities; shopping malls; factories and telecommunication towers, Thabit Al-Suweid, secretary general of the Saudi Contractors' Authority (SCA) also said.
"Contractors seeking government permits for the construction of those facilities must first register with SCA," he also said.
New rules will become effective shortly and will cover more types of buildings; including residential buildings, health centers, airports, banks and other buildings, he added.
Suweid said only around 4,000 contractors are registered with SCA although more than 140,000 construction firms operate in the Kingdom.