DOHA: The Advisory Council has urged the government to give priority to Qatari engineering consultancies in awarding projects and where it is necessary to award a project to a foreign consultancy, it should be asked to have a partnership with a local consultancy.
The council has also recommended that Qatari engineering students must be provided financial assistance as an incentive.
The council made the recommendations while debating amendments to the law that regulates the profession and practice of engineering and engineering consultancy firms.
Marathon discussions on the proposed amendments were held at three sessions of the council, one of which was attended by the Minister of Municipality and Urban Planning, H E Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Khalifa Al Thani.
A key recommendation was that a nine-member committee be formed that would classify engineers and engineering firms and give away licences to practise.
The members will be from the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning, the Interior Ministry, Public Works Authority (Ashghal), the energy and industry sector, Qatar Petroleum, Civil Defence and Qatar University.
The council, however, said the chairman and the vice-chairman of the panel must be from the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning.
The existing law should be in force until the executive regulations of the new law see the light of day after the legislation is enforced, the council said.
While engineers are to be licensed for three years, the tenure of licence for consultancy firms has been recommended to be for two years, after which the licence is to be renewed. No government employees should be allowed to own engineering consultancy firms, the council said, but added that those holding advanced degrees and teaching in a college should be treated as an exception. The Peninsula
