delayed gcc payments discourage consultancy firms
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

Delayed GCC payments discourage consultancy firms

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Delayed GCC payments discourage consultancy firms

Above, a construction site north of Doha. Complaints from consultancy firms
Dubai - Arab Today

Growth in the consultancy market in the GCC is slowing dramatically as multinational firms have been deterred by late payment issues.
A study by Source Global Research (Source) found that the consultancy market grew 6 per cent in 2016, which is a decline from the 15 per cent growth recorded in 2014.
The study said that the market had grown in size to US$2.8 billion. That compared with $2.5bn in 2014. About $900 million of this was spent by public sector clients, but the slowdown in work for governments was even more pronounced, with growth dropping to 5.6 per cent last year, compared with 19.4 per cent in 2014.
It said that the recent slump in oil prices had affected public sector budgets.
Edward Haigh, a director of Source Global Research, said: "Six per cent growth meant that 2016 was the year in which the GCC – the consulting world’s star performer for so many years – stopped standing out."
Complaints from consultancy firms about late payments is also on the rise the study said, with firms reporting that conditions in Saudi Arabia and Qatar have become "markedly worse" over the past 12 months.
Demand for consultancy services in the UAE grew by 6.6 per cent, reaching $815m last year. However, there was a significant difference noted between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The former market was characterised by cautious clients and slow decision-making, according to Source, whereas the latter was described as a regional bright spot.
Saudi Arabia remained the region’s biggest market, spending $1.31bn on consultants last year, while Qatar spent $342m.
The financial services sector was the most active market for consultants across the GCC.
The report noted that the introduction of value-added tax (VAT) next year could drive demand for consultants in the UAE.
The report also argued that the cancellation or postponement of many projects was also creating challenges for companies that are trying to plan their own resources.
"You can’t help wondering if there’s a year of extraordinary growth dangling somewhere out there in the future of the GCC consulting market," Mr Haigh added.
"Combine Saudi Arabia’s National Transformation Programme with a recovering oil price, pressure building in Qatar as 2022 nears, and the Dubai World Expo in 2020, and you start to create a perfect storm of demand for consulting services. Unfortunately for consultants, that year will not be 2017."
Chuck Harrington, the chief executive of Parsons – a US-based engineering consultancy, which earned about 20 per cent of its global revenue of US$3.2bn in 2015 (the most recent year for which figures are available) from the Middle East – said that late payments "continue to be a major problem for companies doing business here".
"The overall issue of delayed payments in the GCC region has gotten more severe in the past few years; we are seeing our receivables – that is, approved invoices – go significantly beyond the contractual terms and conditions that we’ve signed up for," said Mr Harrington. "Depending on the project, late payments can reach two to three times of the contractually mandated terms."
Mr Harrington added that there were " some hopeful signs in Saudi Arabia, such as the government bond issuance last year, which eased the liquidity crunch in the kingdom".

Source: The National

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

delayed gcc payments discourage consultancy firms delayed gcc payments discourage consultancy firms

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

delayed gcc payments discourage consultancy firms delayed gcc payments discourage consultancy firms

 



GMT 12:47 2016 Thursday ,01 September

'La La Land' musical masterpiece dazzles Venice film fest

GMT 12:42 2017 Monday ,20 February

Dalia al-Behairy begins 'Yawmiyat Zoga Mafrosa'

GMT 19:01 2017 Wednesday ,30 August

Oil prices down as US reels from Harvey

GMT 04:19 2017 Monday ,08 May

National forces attack mercenaries in Taiz

GMT 19:21 2017 Sunday ,07 May

Iranian Film Week opens in Baghdad

GMT 21:33 2017 Sunday ,30 July

Arab Quartet meeting kicks off in Bahrain

GMT 17:17 2016 Friday ,07 October

Aleppo bleeds as US and Russia spar

GMT 12:03 2015 Monday ,21 December

Nepal protester killed in constitutional crisis clash

GMT 09:47 2016 Thursday ,22 December

Trump vows to cut F-35 spending, as leaked memo

GMT 21:44 2017 Friday ,15 December

King establishes Hawar Development Committee

GMT 20:57 2017 Tuesday ,16 May

Naval Forces rescue 23 tourists in Hurghada

GMT 12:56 2017 Monday ,11 December

Lyon leave it late, Balotelli with Nice winner

GMT 06:18 2017 Thursday ,19 October

Russian delegation meets with Julphar chairman

GMT 21:20 2017 Monday ,23 October

Nasr, delegation of London Stock Exchange

GMT 14:40 2012 Saturday ,10 March

Magdy Al-Galad steps down

GMT 09:47 2017 Sunday ,12 March

Cat Camp in New York attracts cat lovers

GMT 14:57 2016 Friday ,09 September

Madonna, Ritchie settle child custody dispute

GMT 23:52 2017 Monday ,18 September

UAE economic growth boosting logistics sector
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday