What Happened

Tarik Dokainish, President and CEO of Dokainish & Company, participated in the Canada-Saudi Business and Investment Forum in Jeddah on July 08, 2026, during Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to Saudi Arabia. The event, hosted by the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia and the Embassy of Canada, featured a keynote address by Carney as the two nations deepen bilateral trade and investment ties. Dokainish & Company, a Canadian project controls and systems implementation firm, continues to export its expertise to the region through a strategic partnership with SAUDCONSULT, Saudi Arabia's oldest engineering firm. This partnership combines Dokainish’s project controls capabilities with SAUDCONSULT’s 60 years of engineering leadership and a network of more than 2,800 professionals to deliver full EPCM capability. The firm supports Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 program by providing project delivery, engineering, and systems implementation expertise for large capital projects. Bilateral trade between Canada and Saudi Arabia totaled $3.5 billion in 2025, with Saudi Arabia serving as Canada's second-largest trading partner in the Gulf region. Dokainish & Company has previously supported two award-winning PMOs, including a PMI PMO of the Year for The Americas, on multi-billion-dollar capital programs.

Why It Matters

The participation of a leading Canadian project controls firm alongside the Prime Minister underscores the strategic importance of Saudi Arabia as a market for Canadian professional services and infrastructure expertise. With bilateral trade reaching $3.5 billion in 2025, the economic relationship is expanding beyond traditional resources into complex capital program delivery. This aligns with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, which requires significant international expertise to manage large-scale infrastructure and energy projects. The presence of Dokainish & Company highlights the growing demand for integrated project controls and systems implementation to mitigate risks such as delays and cost overruns in these massive undertakings. For Canadian businesses, this signals a continued opportunity to export specialized engineering and project management services to the Middle East.

Local Vancouver / Burnaby Context

While this event centers on international trade and investment in Saudi Arabia, it reflects broader trends in Canadian professional services exporting expertise globally. For local stakeholders in Burnaby and Vancouver, the activities of firms like Dokainish & Company, which operates offices in Calgary and Toronto, demonstrate the international reach of Canadian project management and engineering sectors. The firm's focus on delivering multi-billion-dollar capital programs on schedule and on budget is critical for maintaining the reputation of Canadian firms in high-stakes international markets. Although the immediate impact on local housing supply or zoning is indirect, the success of such international ventures contributes to the overall economic resilience and export capacity of Canadian businesses. The firm's ISO 9001:2015 certification and status as a certified minority-owned business enterprise also highlight the diverse and specialized nature of the Canadian professional services industry that competes globally.

Market Impact

The expansion of Canadian project controls expertise into Saudi Arabia supports the growth of the professional services sector, which is a key component of the broader Canadian economy. For investors in firms like Dokainish & Company, the partnership with SAUDCONSULT and participation in high-profile forums like the Canada-Saudi Business and Investment Forum indicate strong market demand for their services. The $3.5 billion bilateral trade figure suggests a robust economic relationship that can sustain long-term contracts for Canadian firms. However, the complexity of large capital projects in the region also carries inherent risks of delays and cost overruns, which effective project controls aim to mitigate. The market impact is primarily felt in the professional services and engineering sectors, rather than directly in local real estate markets.

Builder / Developer Perspective

For builders and developers, the activities of firms like Dokainish & Company in Saudi Arabia illustrate the global demand for specialized project management and systems implementation. While not directly impacting local construction costs or zoning, the success of Canadian firms in delivering complex international projects enhances the reputation and competitiveness of Canadian engineering and project management expertise. The firm's focus on integrating project controls with system implementation offers a model for managing large-scale developments efficiently. Developers may look to these international best practices to improve their own project delivery processes. The partnership with SAUDCONSULT, which has 60 years of engineering leadership, underscores the value of combining local knowledge with international expertise in complex markets.

BurnabyHouse Insight

The presence of Dokainish & Company's CEO alongside Prime Minister Mark Carney in Jeddah highlights the deepening economic ties between Canada and Saudi Arabia, particularly in the realm of professional services and infrastructure development. With bilateral trade reaching $3.5 billion in 2025, the relationship is evolving beyond traditional resource exports to include complex capital program delivery. This trend reflects the growing competitiveness of Canadian firms in the global project management and engineering sectors. For local observers, it serves as a reminder of the international opportunities available to Canadian businesses, even as they navigate domestic challenges in housing and infrastructure. The firm's strategic partnership with SAUDCONSULT and its focus on delivering multi-billion-dollar programs on time and on budget demonstrate the value of specialized expertise in high-stakes international markets. This case study in successful international expansion offers lessons for other Canadian firms looking to grow their global footprint.