The National Project Management, Operation, and Maintenance Organization (Mashroat) recently held a workshop to raise awareness of the importance of facilities management. The workshop was held as part of Saudi Build 2019, which took place at Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center on October 7-10. The workshop was attended by officials from different areas of facility management, including contracting, operations, property management, and maintenance. The aim was to introduce Mashroat as the body leading the transformation of Saudi Arabia's facilities management sector. The workshop is part of an ongoing efforts by Mashroat to raise awareness of the importance of adopting best international practices and the highest standards. Mashroat is the government enabling arm for infrastructure projects. It provides consultancy and technical support to government agencies in project management, operation, and maintenance in order to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of the national infrastructure, as well as ensuring the projects are in line with global best practices and meet the ambitious aspirations of Vision 2030. The workshop was presented by Mashroat's Director of Standards and Procedures and Director of Support and Enablement in the Public Facilities Department, who spoke about the challenges facing the sector and outlined the initiatives introduced by Mashroat to meet those including, improving the regulatory environment, standardizing procedures, providing qualified trained employees and raising the level of transparency. The workshop at Saudi Build 2019 was important in terms of raising awareness across facilities management industry of Mashroat's role and how it aims to enhance the sector in line with the significant infrastructure projects being undertaken as part of Vision 2030. — SG
