Nama Water Services awards one of the Middle East’s largest performance-based contracts to advance Oman’s water sector transformation

Qais Al Zakwani: A world-class operating model marks a new chapter for Oman’s water sector and builds on Nama Water Services’ transformation journey.

Muscat — Coinciding with the official visit of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to the French Republic, Nama Water Services has awarded one of the Middle East’s largest performance-based contracts, marking another milestone in the company’s transformation towards more efficient, sustainable and performance-driven operating models.

The contract has been awarded in partnership with SUEZ, the Oman Infrastructure Fund (Rakiza) and their partners, National Trading Company LLC and National Energy Center SAOG, to operate and maintain water and wastewater services across Muscat Governorate and the North and South Al Sharqiyah governorates under Cluster 1, in addition to implementing a comprehensive performance-based programme to reduce Non-Revenue Water (NRW).

The 15-year contract, valued at around OMR 900 million, will provide water and wastewater services to more than 2.3 million people, representing approximately 43 per cent of Oman’s population. It is one of the largest performance-based water contracts in the region and reflects Oman’s continued commitment to adopting advanced operating models that improve service efficiency and sustainability.

Nama Water Services will continue to play its strategic role in governance, oversight and performance management, ensuring that operations remain aligned with national priorities, while the operator delivers services through a performance-based model supported by clearly defined key performance indicators.

Qais bin Saud Al Zakwani, Chief Executive Officer of Nama Water Services, said the project represents another milestone in the company’s institutional transformation and reflects its vision to reshape the management and operation of the water sector through a world-class operating model built on performance, innovation and sustainability.

He said the project will strengthen asset management, improve the resilience of the water system and establish a new generation of smarter, more sustainable and future-ready services.

Al Zakwani added that the project also focuses on developing national talent through a comprehensive capacity-building and knowledge transfer programme, while maintaining an Omanisation rate of more than 83 per cent, promoting local content and In-Country Value (ICV), and supporting Oman’s long-term economic development objectives.

He noted that the project builds on Nama Water Services’ ongoing transformation programme through modern operating models, international best practices, digital technologies and performance-based governance. It is expected to address key sector challenges, including reducing non-revenue water, improving network reliability, strengthening asset management and using digital solutions, operational intelligence and predictive analytics to support proactive operations and better decision-making.

He further said that the partnership with leading international expertise represents an investment in knowledge and innovation, and a strategic step towards accelerating the transformation of the water sector while strengthening water security and supporting the goals of Oman Vision 2040.

In the water services, the contract includes:

Operation and maintenance of 240 wells, management of a 10,700-km water network, distribution of around 470,000 cubic metres of drinking water per day, rehabilitation and upgrading of four desalination plants, and operation of more than 400,000 smart water meters.

The wastewater services scope includes:

Operation and maintenance of 22 wastewater treatment plants, a total treatment capacity of 280,000 cubic metres per day, management of a 3,000-km wastewater network, management of 400 km of treated water distribution networks for reuse.

The contract is governed by 33 key performance indicators (KPIs) and aims to reduce non-revenue water from 34 per cent to 11 per cent by 2040. It also focuses on improving asset reliability through preventive maintenance and advanced digital solutions for network monitoring, smart leak detection and asset management, enhancing operational efficiency, faster response times and continuous improvement across water and wastewater services