Saudi Arabia opens exemptions for government contracts without a regional HQ
Saudi Arabia · 11 weeks ago
The Local Content and Government Procurement Authority has notified government bodies of a mechanism for requesting exemptions through the Etimad platform, allowing contracts with foreign companies that have no regional headquarters in the Kingdom under defined competitive and technical conditions.
The original rule has applied since the start of 2024 and bars state entities and affiliated funds from contracting with any foreign company whose regional headquarters sits outside the Kingdom. It applies to contracts above SAR 1m; anything at or below that sits outside the rule.
More than 700 multinationals had relocated their regional headquarters to Riyadh by early 2026, passing the original target of 500 companies by 2030.
Source: Local Content and Government Procurement Authority, via Arab News