The Abu Dhabi Government says it is taking "appropriate steps" to expedite late payments to contractors, engineers and architects working on more than 1,300 projects around the emirate.
"The Abu Dhabi Government is fully aware of its obligations in terms of outstanding payments to contractors and has taken the appropriate steps to ensure that all these obligations are met by the responsible government entities," the Office of Government Communications (OGC) told Reuters.
Projects range in scale from several hundred thousand to billions of dirhams, the OGC said.
"The Abu Dhabi Government recognises the valuable contribution that the contractors and their suppliers make to the local economy and appreciates how important the timely management of cash flows is to the health of these businesses."
Engineering, construction and architecture firms have been at the sharp end of Abu Dhabi's property crunch last year, which coincided with a review of major expenditures by the emirate's Government concluded in January.
The number of firms reporting difficulties in securing payments from government bodies during the past year have mounted, with some companies incurring heavy losses.
Mouchel Group, an infrastructure group based in the United Kingdom and listed on the London Stock Exchange, said in November it was owed Dh72.5 million (US$19.7m) by the Department of Municipal Affairs, some of which had been written off to account for the lack of certainty over its payment.
In a trading statement this month, the company said it was implementing a "balance sheet restructuring" after its profits were hammered by losses at its Middle East business, which has taken a hit of £2m (Dh11.4m) in one-off charges this year.
The collapse in the company's operations has left its shareholders wiped out. Mouchel shares have fallen 99.3 per cent since 2007. Austin-Smith:Lord, an architecture firm based in Scotland, was forced into insolvency late last year because of late payments of £11.3m by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage over the Qasr Al Hosn cultural centre.
During the past few months, companies including WYG Group, a British technical consultancy, and Aukett Fitzroy Robin, an architecture and fit-out company based in the UK, reported an increase in contracts after the Abu Dhabi Government's spending review restarted projects in the emirate.
In a trading statement this month, Aukett Fitzroy Robin said a slowdown in the UAE had led to its Middle East operation being reduced to a "base cost position" last year but reappointment to a hotel contract for the Marriott Courtyard in Abu Dhabi had helped to move the firm from loss to profits once funding was resumed in the second quarter of this year.
Between delayed payments in Abu Dhabi and difficult trading conditions in Dubai following its property downturn of the past few years, several construction firms have abandoned the UAE for other countries in the Arabian Gulf.
WSP Group, a UK engineering and management consultancy, said the performance of its loss-making operations in the Middle East had been "held back by a project in Abu Dhabi" in its annual report in February.
"Our Middle East business has won significant infrastructure management and master planning projects in which Qatar is increasingly becoming the region's centre of activity as the activity in Dubai remains relatively quiet and, in Abu Dhabi, has slowed," WSP said.
Other firms say they are considering Saudi Arabia and Qatar as a result of a slowdown in the UAE construction market.
ghunter@thenational.ae
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
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Price: From Dh192,500
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MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Manchester City, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match is on BeIN Sports
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
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Company%20Profile
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Greatest Royal Rumble match listing
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
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United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
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The Farewell
Director: Lulu Wang
Stars: Awkwafina, Zhao Shuzhen, Diana Lin, Tzi Ma
Four stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
The%20specs
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
65
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Napoleon
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MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium, Malayisa
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia on October 10
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.