Legal & Contracts Lead (PMC)

We are seeking an experienced Procurement & Contracts Lead to lead the procurement and contracts function on large-scale data center, mission-critical, and infrastructure programs in KSA.

The role sits within Decima’s Project Management Consultancy (PMC) teams, acting as the Owner’s onsite representative and leading the full procurement and contract lifecycle for EPC contractors and major project packages on the Client’s behalf.

The successful candidate will support procurement and contracting strategy, lead tendering and award activities, manage post-award contract administration, variations, claims, payments, and close-out, and protect the Client’s commercial and contractual position throughout project delivery.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Support the Client in developing procurement and contracting strategies and lead their implementation across project packages.

Develop procurement package plans, tender schedules, bidder lists, and procurement governance processes.

Lead contractor and supplier prequalification, capability assessments, RFQs, RFPs, and tendering activities.

Prepare and coordinate scopes of work, pricing schedules, contract exhibits, clarification logs, and tender addenda.

Lead technical and commercial bid evaluations, including review of bidder qualifications, assumptions, exclusions, pricing, schedules, delivery methodology, and contractual deviations.

Prepare bid comparison sheets, evaluation reports, negotiation strategies, and award recommendations for Client approval.

Lead tender clarification meetings, bidder interviews, commercial alignment discussions, and negotiations.

Coordinate with cost teams to benchmark pricing and validate project budgets.

Lead post-award administration of EPC and major project contracts.

Review and interpret contractual terms, scope provisions, payment mechanisms, warranties, liabilities, indemnities, and termination provisions.

Refer matters requiring formal legal interpretation to the Client’s legal function.

Own and maintain contract registers for notices, bonds, guarantees, insurance, payments, variations, claims, and contractual key dates.

Ensure contractual notices and responses are issued accurately and within required timeframes.

Lead variation, change order, and change-control processes.

Review contractor claims, including extension-of-time and cost claims, and prepare recommended Owner positions.

Support assessment and certification of interim payments, milestone payments, retention, provisional sums, and final accounts.

Monitor contractor contractual performance and compliance.

Support dispute avoidance and development of contractual and commercial positions.

Own OFCI / CFCI and long-lead equipment tracking, including responsibility splits between the Client and contractor.

Chair periodic long-lead equipment and procurement coordination meetings.

Identify and escalate delivery or procurement risks that could affect the project program.

Lead contract and commercial close-out, including final account settlement, warranties, securities, outstanding claims, and completion documentation.

Maintain warranty and defects registers throughout the applicable defects liability period.

Identify procurement, contractual, commercial, technical, and schedule risks and ensure appropriate mitigation actions are assigned and tracked.

Prepare procurement and contracts dashboards, claims reports, variation reports, risk reports, and executive updates for the Client’s PMO.

Provide guidance to project teams on tender governance, contract interpretation, change management, claims avoidance, and commercial risk.

Lead and develop the procurement and contracts team, including contract administrators, procurement engineers, and tendering support staff.

Manage team resourcing, package allocation, quality review, and technical development.

Coordinate closely with project management, engineering, cost, planning, commercial, commissioning, document control, and Client teams.

Escalate matters outside the PMC’s delegated authority to the Project / Site Director for referral to the Client.

Maintain confidentiality of contractual, commercial, pricing, and tender information and ensure integrity of the procurement process.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Law, or a related discipline.

12–15 years of procurement and contracts experience** on major construction or infrastructure projects.

Minimum **5 years of experience leading a procurement, contracts, or commercial function**.

Strong experience managing the full procurement lifecycle from strategy and tendering through award, administration, and close-out.

Strong contractor prequalification and tender management experience.

Extensive experience with technical and commercial bid evaluation.

Strong knowledge of EPC contract administration under FIDIC or equivalent contract forms.

Experience administering EPC lump-sum contracts.

Strong contract interpretation skills, including risk allocation, liabilities, indemnities, warranties, and termination provisions.

Strong commercial management and change-control experience.

Experience managing variations, change orders, claims, and extension-of-time assessments.

Experience supporting payment certification against contractual payment mechanisms.

Strong final account management and contract close-out experience.

Experience managing contractors and suppliers.

Experience administering bonds, guarantees, insurance, and contractual securities.

Strong procurement and contractual risk-management capabilities.

Experience managing long-lead equipment and OFCI / CFCI arrangements.

Experience preparing procurement and contracts reports for executive and Client audiences.

Proven team leadership experience, including resourcing, package allocation, and review of team output.

Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and strong skills in Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Experience with SAP, Oracle, or equivalent ERP / procurement / contract management systems.

Fluent written and spoken English, with the ability to prepare, communicate, and defend contractual positions clearly.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience on data center or mission-critical projects.

Experience on at least two data center or comparable projects with individual project values exceeding **USD 500 million**.

Strong PMC or Owner’s Representative experience.

Experience working with major hyperscale, government-linked, or PIF-affiliated clients.

Strong knowledge of the KSA procurement market, including regional contractors, vendors, local content requirements, and procurement regulations.

Professional accreditation such as **CIPS, MRICS / RICS, PMP, AACE, CIArb**, or equivalent.

Master’s degree in a relevant discipline.

Arabic language capability.

Experience with both single-EPC and multi-package project delivery models.

Experience managing OFCI / CFCI arrangements where the Owner directly procured major equipment.

Exposure to dispute resolution processes, including DAB / DAAB, adjudication, or arbitration support.

Strong working knowledge of ERP, procurement, and contract management platforms.

PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Outlook

SAP

Oracle

ERP / Procurement Platforms

Contract Management Systems

EDMS / PMIS Platforms

Procurement and Tender Trackers

Claims and Variation Trackers

Risk and Executive Reporting Dashboards