Building Business in the Middle East

Beyond Zero’s Andy Jowett has spent several months over the past year in the UAE and Oman working on projects such as the concourse for Dubai air-port’s new terminal building and various residential, industrial and civil engineering projects. In this article he takes a look at the business opportunities and challenges of working in the Middle East.

“I first went to Dubai at the request of a contact early last year who wanted some additional health and safety support, and the demand for our services has continued to increase since then. So far we have been involved in undertaking independent third party audits, supply chain audits and improvement programs, and giving strategic health and safety advice to major construction companies. For us the key to getting work was based on our personal reputation, and then if you deliver results the word spreads. This has then helped us to develop our relational networks and broaden our client base in the Gulf states.

There are many differences between the UK and Middle East in terms of the health and safety standards and this varies between countries and Emirates. The companies Beyond Zero work with operate their projects to UK standards so in this respect our approach to safety standards remains the same.

The Middle East also has additional health and safety factors to consider such as the extreme heat. During the summer, temperatures in Dubai can reach 56 degrees Celsius. Hydration, rest breaks and sun protection for workers must be addressed to prevent severe dehydration and other heat related ailments which could cause accidents and death.

If you want to develop your business in the Gulf the best advice I can give is to view it as a long term project and work at building networks and useful partnerships. Operating in the Gulf is very different to the UK because of the culture and it is important for overseas workers to understand this and learn to operate within it. You need to be fairly adaptable as a person and be willing to learn the etiquette, cultural customs and some of the language if possible, and this differs between countries.

The global downturn has started to affect the rate of development in the Middle East, but not as severely as in the UK. There are still plenty of major projects underway and its expected that the market in the Middle East will soon recover. Across Oman, Dubai, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi construction is continuing taking place at a rapid rate and there are some great opportunities out there for UK businesses. Beyond Zero definitely look to the Middle East as a long term source of business and I am looking forward to the challenge of expanding our work in the Middle East over the next few years.”