Site Office and Welfare Unit Requirements on Saudi Sites

A site office and welfare package is the set of portable cabins a contractor needs to run a Saudi site: offices, meeting rooms, toilet and ablution blocks, a canteen and a prayer room. Specify insulated panels, air conditioning, level plinths and the power, water and sewage connections, and state who handles delivery, setup and removal at demobilisation.

Start with the list of units

Write the units down before asking for a price. A typical set for a mid-sized site has a main office, a meeting room, a document room, toilet blocks for the number of people on site, ablution points, a canteen or rest shelter, a prayer room and a first-aid room. Smaller sites cut the list, larger ones add a security gate cabin, a stores cabin and a training room. The headcount in your HSE plan sets the toilet and canteen sizes, so quote it in the RFQ rather than guessing a cabin count.

Build for Saudi summer

A cabin that is comfortable in March can be unbearable in July. Ask for insulated sandwich panel walls, roof and floor, windows that suit the sun side, and an air conditioning load sized for the cabin and for the number of people in it. Mention shading, such as a roof canopy over the cabins, if the site is exposed. Check that the electrical supply to each cabin is sized for the air conditioners running together. A cabin whose air conditioner trips on a hot afternoon costs more in lost time than the extra cable did.

Plinths and layout

Cabins sit on level plinths or a prepared hardstanding, and drainage must not run under them. The layout drawing should show the cabins, the walkways, the utilities routing, parking and the fire assembly point, and it normally needs the client's or the engineer's approval before delivery. Place welfare units where the workforce can reach them without crossing plant routes.

Power, water and sewage

Every cabin block needs three connections. Power comes from a site distribution board, with a load schedule so the supply is sized correctly. Water comes from a tank or the mains with a point of connection. Sewage goes to a holding tank that is emptied on a schedule, or to a sewer connection if one exists. Write down who provides each connection point and who connects to it. The RFQ should state the distance from the cabins to each point, because trench or cable lengths change the offer.

Ablution, prayer and welfare

On a Saudi site the prayer room and ablution points are basic welfare, not extras. Mark the direction of prayer, provide a cool floor surface and keep the room away from toilet blocks and plant noise. Add shaded rest areas and drinking water points. The RFQ can reference the client's HSE requirements, and where the package includes worker accommodation, the requirements of the authorities for workers' housing. Don't assume a number; ask the client for the clause.

Fire and safety provisions

Provide extinguishers in every cabin and detection in the larger blocks. Keep escape routes clear and mark them. For accommodation blocks the fire provisions go further and follow SBC 801 and Civil Defense, which is covered on the accommodation blocks and camp units page.

Delivery, setup and demobilisation

The offer should cover delivery to site, crane or truck-mounted placement, levelling, utility connection, a handover checklist and relocation or removal at the end. Say in the RFQ how long the units will stay and whether a move is planned part-way, because relocation cost and unit condition on return both depend on it. Lead time and price depend on the scope and quantity, and the offer states them.

What changes the price

Unit count and size, the insulation and air conditioning specification, the hire or purchase term, the distance from the supplier to your site, the crane or lifting method and the number of moves all change the offer. So do the utility lengths from the cabins to your connection points. None of these has a standard figure, and the offer states its basis.

What to send us

Send the site city, the headcount, the list of units, the layout or a site plan, the location of the utility points, the duration of hire or purchase, and any client HSE clauses. We price the supply, installation and removal as one package. See site offices and welfare units, modular and portable buildings, guard houses and kiosks and the site facilities and temporary works page, or the wider prefab and modular site facilities service.

FAQ

What goes into a site office package?

Cabins for offices and meetings, toilet and ablution blocks, a canteen, a prayer room and a first-aid room, with air conditioning, lighting, small power and the utility connections.

How do I size the toilet and canteen units?

From the headcount in the HSE plan and the client's requirements. Put the headcount in the RFQ and let the offer propose the unit count against it.

Who connects power, water and sewage?

The RFQ must say. A common split has the site team provide the connection points and the cabin package make the final connections.

Can the units be moved to another site?

Yes. State the move in the RFQ so the offer prices dismantling, transport and reinstallation, and so the units are specified to be relocatable.