The Chief Executive Officer of the Real Estate General Authority (REGA), Engineer Abdullah bin Saud Al-Hammad, announced that REGA will issue the first legislation regulating facility management in the Saudi real estate sector during the first quarter of 2024. This legislation will include regulatory provisions designed to organize and govern facility management as part of broader efforts to enhance governance in the real estate sector and boost its reliability and investment appeal.
This announcement was made during his participation in the "MEFMA ConFex 2023" conference and exhibition, organized by the Middle East Facility Management Association (MEFMA), under the theme "Facility Management in the Digital Age – Towards Adopting a Smart Future," held in Riyadh on 15–16 October 2023.
In his opening speech at the conference, Al-Hammad highlighted the real estate sector’s strategic importance, noting the unwavering support it receives from the Kingdom’s wise leadership. As a key pillar of the national economy, the sector has benefited from the state's efforts to regulate, develop, and improve oversight mechanisms, enhance efficiency, and encourage investment. He pointed out that, according to Q2 2023 statistics, the real estate sector contributed (6.1%) to the GDP, while the contribution of real estate activities to non-oil sectors reached (12.7%).
Al-Hammad also emphasized that facility management is among the activities regulated under the Real Estate Brokerage Law, which has been in effect for approximately three months. This law is one of the most significant enablers for the development and regulation of the real estate sector, advancing its digital transformation and enhancing services for beneficiaries. These reforms aim to position the Kingdom’s real estate sector as a dynamic and investment-friendly market, distinguished by its transparency and reliability.
He further noted that REGA’s role as a strategic partner in the eleventh edition of this conference stems from its belief in the value of such events and the wealth of expertise they bring. These experiences play a key role in advancing the real estate sector, especially in facility management, which is one of the most impactful and vital activities for ensuring architectural sustainability.
The current edition of the conference in Riyadh attracted leading experts in facility management who presented best practices and insights on how the digital age is transforming the sector. The event emphasized the use of modern technologies to raise awareness of the sector’s significance, enhance its role in sustainability, and extend the operational life of facilities and major projects being developed across the Kingdom in alignment with the national and digital transformation objectives of Vision 2030.
MEFMA designed the conference agenda to include a series of specialized workshops and sessions focused on the latest sector trends, technology- and data-driven facility management, the sector’s journey toward sustainability, and its impact on the future vision of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.