Parsons Corporation has won a five-year contract worth US $56 million from Diriyah Company to deliver design and construction supervision services for the second phase of the project in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. The scope covers neighbourhood parks, open spaces, civic buildings, footpaths and more than 55 kilometres of streetscape in the historic Najdi-style mixed-use destination.
Project Factsheet
Developer: Diriyah Company (backed by the Public Investment Fund)
Contractor: Parsons Corporation
Contract value: US $56 million (SAR 210 million)
Duration: 5-year engagement
Scope highlights: design & supervision of open spaces, civic-buildings, footpaths, streetscape > 55 km
Location: Diriyah, outskirts of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (historic At-Turaif site)
Significance of the Project
This contract reinforces Diriyah’s ambition to become a walkable, heritage-centred modern district. It elevates demand for urban-realm delivery, including park construction, streetscape engineering and civil-works coordination. For the construction sector, it signals major opportunities in the Saudi infrastructure pipeline, notably in high-profile giga-projects backed by Vision 2030. The scale and complexity of Diriyah’s public-realm works require advanced design, layered utilities, quality finishes and sophisticated stakeholder coordination.
Additionally, the job creation and supply-chain ripple effects become significant: local contractors, specialists in streetscape and landscape construction, and firms skilled in heritage-sensitive architecture will find new avenues of work. A parallel example is Saudi Arabia’s unveiling of the US$1 billion NEOM Sky Stadium—the world’s first suspended sports venue, which signals the scale and ambition driving the region’s next-generation urban megaprojects. Moreover, for the global construction market (and Africa-based firms eyeing GCC participation), this contract is a clear marker of where large-scale urban-development demand is heading.
Broader Context: Diriyah as Saudi Arabia’s Heritage-Led Giga-Project
Furthermore, Diriyah is not simply a neighbourhood renovation but a fully fledged 14 km² urban transformation anchored on culture, tourism and mixed-use development. The development, backed by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) as its fifth giga-project, is expected to deliver 100,000 homes, create over 178,000 jobs and attract 50 million annual visitors. Further, major infrastructure early-works include a 1,707 MVA bulk substation and a 200 MVA primary substation that support the first-phase build. What’s more, the project’s procurement strategy emphasises international contractors and high-standard sustainability credentials, signalling enhanced opportunities for global construction firms and supply-chain participation.
