To combat low oil prices, Qatar revealed it will be passing a law covering the use of public-private partnerships (PPPs) by the end of this year, Reuters reported.
The Ministry of Economy and Commerce stated it would submit a draft PPP law to the cabinet by mid-2016, ministry official told the agency on 15 March 2016. “We hope to have the framework completed and start implementing the law by the end of the year.”
He added that the new framework would will include a PPP programme to build between 10 and 12 public schools in the next two years.
Regional newspaper Gulf Times reported that investment spending in real estate and transport between 2015 and 2017 is estimated to be around $70bn to $80bn a year, as said by QNB Group CEO Ali Ahmed al-Kuwari during a MEED Qatar Projects conference on 14 March 2016.
The Qatar government has been increasingly interested in PPPs especially for the delivery of its infrastructure projects, according to partner at Charles Russel Speechlys Simon Green. In his article, he stated: “it is clear that given the number of projects connected with the Qatar 2030 Vision, alternative procurement structures will need to be considered to help alleviate the public sector burden.”