SCE has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Housing Services Company represented by Estidama program to implement programs related to the profession and enable engineers, and engineering institutions to reach optimal solutions and raise performance and encourage creativity and innovation and in order to contribute to achieving the plans and objectives of the National Housing Strategy to obtain the housing product in the most appropriate time and in optimum quality.
Eng. Abdul Latif Al-Harkan, Secretary-General of the SCE, said that the agreement will be valid for three Hijri calendar years from the date of its signing. It aims at enhancing cooperation between the two parties and maximizing the outputs of the joint goals in the engineering and building sector and integration in adopting rules governing the licenses that control the practice of the profession and the ethics of practicing and requirements of rehabilitation of offices and engineering facilities. He added that the agreement will contribute to the integration and technical link between SCE and "Estidama" program to provide and exchange data and information of common interest, and integration in the realization and dissemination of the culture of green buildings and sustainability of buildings and what relates to the rationalization and upgrading of energy efficiency, as well as upgrading the capabilities of engineers and technicians to adopt curricula for training and rehabilitation with a view to qualifying them to follow up the progress and quality of construction projects for the residential sector.
Al-Harkan indicated that the two parties agreed to participate in developing technical guidelines and standards for ensuring quality control of residential units and exchange of technical opinions, as well as integration in the media and marketing and awareness campaigns to serve the common objectives of both parties.
Al-Harkan stressed the continuation of joint cooperation between the two parties in all that would achieve the citizen's access to the residential product at the appropriate quality and time, advancement of the profession and the empowerment of the engineers and engineering institutions according to its specialization, including training and holding seminars and joint workshops whenever necessary. He pointed out that this agreement and other memorandums of understanding are a continuation of the diligent work of SCE in order to serve the engineers in cooperation with a number of private and public sectors, to provide scientific addition to engineers, institutions, engineering offices and companies. This is in addition to participation of other parties o serve the community at all segments and at all levels.
The signing of the agreement was done on the sidelines of the Sustainable Housing Forum and the launch of the Quality Assurance and Sustainability Assessment System, which was held in Riyadh under the patronage of His Excellency Minister of Housing, Majid bin Abdullah Al-Haqail in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud