Programme overview
Technical depth: Conceptual · Practical mode: Case study
Introduction
Saudi Arabia's new Government Tenders and Procurement Law (GTPL), approved by the Council of Ministers in August 2026, replaces the 2019 GTPL and takes effect 120 days after publication. Direct purchase and delegation limits, committee structures, standstill and review periods, change order limits and penalties all change on that date. Entities that treat the reform as a legal update find policies, approval matrices, templates and Etimad workflows still following the old law. This Core Concept course equips executives to direct an orderly transition, benchmarked against international procurement principles, and to leave with a New GTPL Transition Roadmap for their entity.
Course Objectives
- Explain the principal changes the new Saudi GTPL introduces over the 2019 law and their effect on the entity
- Benchmark the entity's procurement system against the UNCITRAL Model Law, the OECD principles and MAPS
- Direct the redesign of delegations, committee structures and procurement method rules to match the new GTPL thresholds
- Assess the compliance, integrity and payment risks that arise from higher limits and shorter review periods
- Decide how tenders in progress and live contracts are handled during the 120-day transition and after entry into force
- Approve a New GTPL Transition Roadmap with owners, milestones and control points
Target Audience
- Heads of Saudi government entities and their deputies who hold procurement approval authority
- Executive directors of procurement, contracts and financial affairs
- Chief financial officers and budget executives in public bodies
- Executive heads of legal affairs and compliance who advise on procurement decisions
- Executive leaders of state-owned companies that buy under government procurement rules
Course Outline
Day 1: The New Saudi GTPL and Its Impact
- GTPL 2019 (Royal Decree M/128) Versus the New GTPL Approved in August 2026
- Reform Drivers: Vision 2030, Spending Efficiency, Localisation and Private Sector Empowerment
- Old Versus New GTPL Comparison Matrix: Scope, Methods and Thresholds
- Transition Provisions: 120-Day Entry Into Force, Tenders in Progress and Existing Contracts
- Organisational Impact Assessment Across Policy, People, Process and Etimad Workflows
Day 2: Reference Frameworks and Governance Standards
- UNCITRAL Model Law on Public Procurement (2011) Principles Mapped to the New GTPL
- OECD Recommendation on Public Procurement (2015) and Its Twelve Principles
- OECD Methodology for Assessing Procurement Systems (MAPS): The Four Pillars
- ISO 37001:2025 Anti-Bribery Controls for Procurement Functions
- IIA Three Lines Model for Procurement Oversight
Day 3: Operational Changes Executives Must Direct
- Direct Purchase Ceiling Raised From SAR 100,000 to SAR 1 Million: Justification and Control Records
- Delegation Limit Raised From SAR 10 Million to SAR 50 Million: Delegation of Authority Matrix Redesign
- Merged Bid Opening and Examination Committee: Charter and Conflict of Interest Rules
- Change Orders Within the 20% and 10% Limits and Novation of Contracts Between Government Entities
- Three-Working-Day Standstill, Four-Working-Day Ministry of Finance Review and Grievance Handling
Day 4: Compliance Risk, Integrity and Supplier Impact
- Procurement Compliance Risk Register Aligned to ISO 37301:2021
- Delay Penalty Cap Reduced to 15% and Contractor Payment Discipline
- Red Flags for Bid Rigging and Split Purchasing Under Higher Thresholds
- LCGPA Local Content, SME and Listed Company Preference Mechanisms in the New GTPL
- Open Contracting Data Standard and Etimad Data for Transparency Reporting
Day 5: Case Work and the New GTPL Transition Roadmap
- Ministry Case Study: Rewriting the Delegation Matrix Under the SAR 50 Million Limit
- Infrastructure Agency Case Study: Handling Tenders in Progress at the Entry-Into-Force Date
- Policy and Procedure Gap Analysis for the Participant's Entity
- New GTPL Transition Roadmap Drafting
- Executive Panel Review and Roadmap Defence
Skills You Will Gain
- Procurement Regulatory Interpretation
- Delegation of Authority Design
- Public Procurement Governance
- Procurement Integrity Oversight
- Regulatory Transition Planning
- Supplier Market Impact Assessment
- Procurement System Benchmarking
Why Attend This Course
- Return with a New GTPL Transition Roadmap that sets out what changes, who owns each change and by when
- Brief the leadership team and approval committees on the new Saudi procurement rules in plain terms
- Recognise where higher limits and shorter review periods create new integrity exposure
- Compare transition experience with executives from ministries, authorities and state-owned companies
Conclusion
The new Saudi GTPL delivers its intended efficiency only when policies, delegations, committees and controls change with it. This course moves from the comparison of the 2019 and 2026 laws, through the international frameworks that explain the reform's logic, to the operational changes, compliance risks and integrity controls executives must direct. The final day applies that material to realistic cases and to each participant's entity, producing a New GTPL Transition Roadmap ready for the leadership team's approval before the law takes effect.