Specifying and Ordering Piping Materials in Saudi Arabia: A Procurement Checklist

Most problems with piping materials on Saudi projects are created at the ordering stage: a pipe size with no schedule, a flange with no facing or class, bolting with no grade, a certificate type nobody specified and a shipment held at port because the product was not logged in the conformity system. This checklist walks through the decisions a procurement engineer or contractor must make, in order, so that the material that arrives is the material the designer intended, with the paperwork to prove it.

Step 1: Write a complete material description

A piping line item needs seven pieces of information before a supplier can price it without guessing. The table below is the minimum; the project piping class normally fixes most of these, and your job is to transcribe them correctly.

Dimensional standards matter more than they look. ASME B36.10M, 2018 edition, standardises dimensions of welded and seamless wrought steel pipe, and B36.19M, 2018 edition, does the same for stainless pipe using schedules with an S suffix. The two are not interchangeable: the standard notes that schedule 10S wall thicknesses differ from B36.10M in NPS 14 through 22, schedule 40S in NPS 12 and schedule 80S in NPS 10 and 12, and for NPS 12 and smaller the outside diameter is larger than the nominal size number in both (ASME B36.10M; ASME B36.19M). A stainless order written as "Sch 40" when the design meant "Sch 40S" can arrive with the wrong wall at exactly the sizes where it matters.

For flanges, ASME B16.5 covers NPS 1/2 through 24 in classes 150 to 1500 across the range and class 2500 to NPS 12, and includes requirements for bolting, gaskets and flange joints, so the class, facing and the matching gasket and stud specification should appear together on the order (ASME B16.5).

Step 2: Specify the inspection document

Decide the certificate type before the order is placed, not when the truck arrives. EN 10204 defines four inspection documents: type 2.1 is a declaration of compliance with no test results, type 2.2 reports non-specific tests, type 3.1 reports specific tests on the delivered batch validated by the manufacturer's inspection representative independent of production, and type 3.2 carries the same content validated additionally by the purchaser's representative or an official inspector (Wermac). The international equivalent, ISO 10474:2013, is adopted as a GCC standard, so either reference is understood in the Kingdom (GSO).

For pressure piping, flanges, fittings and bolting the practical minimum is 3.1. Write the type on each line item, list any supplementary tests such as impact testing or hydrostatic test reports, and require the heat number to be marked on the product.

Step 3: Check the Saudi conformity route

The Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization, SASO, sets the technical regulations products must meet, licenses the Saudi Quality Mark and runs the Taakad application for verifying quality marks and labels (SASO). Conformity is administered through Saber, an electronic platform overseen by SASO in which suppliers, manufacturers and importers register products and obtain conformity certificates and shipment certificates before goods enter the market. Products are registered against their HS code, and Saber is integrated with Fasah, the unified import and export system operated with the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, so customs clearance depends on the product being logged (Saudipedia; ITA).

The process differs by product category. For regulated products the importer registers the product in Saber, selects its classification, has a SASO-approved certification body carry out the conformity assessment and receives a certificate of conformity, after which a shipment certificate is issued for each consignment. For unregulated products the importer self-declares by entering product details and attaching technical files, and receives a shipment certificate on that basis (ITA). Whether a given piping product is regulated depends on its HS code and the technical regulations in force at the time, so check the code in Saber for each imported item and allow for the certification body's lead time on regulated ones. Locally manufactured products go through the same platform.

The buyer should establish at tender stage who the importer of record is and who carries the Saber cost and lead time, because a supplier quoting from stock in the Kingdom has already cleared this step and a supplier quoting ex-works abroad has not.

Step 4: Understand approved-vendor regimes

Large operators in the Kingdom buy only from suppliers registered and qualified in their own systems, and they qualify manufacturers for specific material categories. Aramco states that all companies supplying it with goods or services must be registered, that registration for Saudi-based suppliers runs through its e-Marketplace platform with documents including the commercial registration, Zakat and VAT certificates and chamber of commerce membership, and that registering and qualifying does not guarantee future business; its iktva programme also weighs local value creation (Aramco). SABIC runs a three-step process of profile creation with due diligence, technical qualification that may include a site visit, and onboarding to its e-business portal, and issues a vendor ID only after qualification, again without any guarantee of business (SABIC).

For a contractor the consequence is that where the end client is such an operator, the material manufacturer, and often the supplier, must appear on the client's approved list for that commodity, and the purchase order should say so. Where the end client is a developer or private owner, ask for the approved manufacturer list before inviting quotations rather than after, and in every case request the manufacturer's name and country of origin with the quotation.

Step 5: Fix the commercial and delivery terms

Use the Incoterms rules published by the International Chamber of Commerce, currently Incoterms 2020 in force since 1 January 2020, to state which of the eleven terms applies, because they define the tasks, costs and risks between seller and buyer in the delivery of goods (ICC). An order delivered to site from local stock and an order shipped from a mill abroad carry different risk and lead time, and the term makes that explicit. Then cover the items that the Incoterm does not:

• Packing and protection: end caps on pipe, bevel protectors, separate packing for stainless to avoid carbon contamination, and flange face protection.
• Marking: heat number, specification and grade, size and schedule, and any colour coding the project requires, on every length and on tags for small items.
• Partial deliveries and call-off schedules, with the certificate for each heat delivered with that heat.
• Inspection and release: whether the buyer or a third party inspects before despatch, and what notice is required.
• Non-conformance handling: who pays for return, replacement and re-testing if the material or certificate does not match the order.

Step 6: Receive and verify

Receiving is the last point at which a wrong material can be rejected cheaply. Check quantities and dimensions against the delivery note, read the heat number off the product and find it on the certificate, confirm the certificate type and grade against the order, inspect pipe ends and flange faces for damage, and segregate stainless from carbon steel in storage. File the certificates by heat number with the purchase order for the client's quality records.

Key takeaways

• A complete line item names form, size and wall, material standard and grade, dimensional standard, ends and facing, quantity and documentation.
• Write the schedule suffix correctly: B36.19M stainless schedules with an S differ from B36.10M at specific sizes.
• Specify the EN 10204 or ISO 10474 document type on the order, with 3.1 as the practical minimum for pressure components.
• Confirm the Saber route for each imported HS code and agree who acts as importer of record.
• Where the end client runs an approved-vendor system, obtain the approved list for the commodity before inviting quotations.
• State the Incoterm, packing, marking, call-off and non-conformance terms explicitly, and verify heat numbers at receipt.

Frequently asked questions

Do piping materials for a building services project need Saber certificates?

Imported products are registered in Saber against their HS code, and the route depends on whether a SASO technical regulation covers that code. Check each item in the platform; a supplier delivering from stock in the Kingdom has already cleared the step, which is often the deciding factor for programme-critical items.

Can a supplier that is not on an operator's approved list supply through a contractor?

The operator's requirement normally attaches to the manufacturer of the material for that commodity, and sometimes to the supplier. Whether an intermediary is acceptable depends on the client's procurement rules, so confirm in writing before ordering.

Is EN 10204 3.1 enough for ASTM material?

Yes in practice. EN 10204 and ISO 10474 define the document type, not the material standard, and mills routinely issue 3.1 certificates for ASTM and ASME grades. State the document type and the material specification together on the order.

How Al Safsaaf can help

Al Safsaaf Trading & Contracting Company supplies carbon steel pipe, stainless steel products, flanges and fasteners and gaskets from Riyadh to contractors and facility owners across Saudi Arabia, and can review a material take-off against this checklist before you issue the enquiry. See our compliance and certificates page for documentation practice, or contact us with your piping class and schedule.