Discussed in 2014 at the highest political and governmental levels, a two-year contract was effectively signed on 21 January 2016 in Manama, concretely defining the strategic partnership between France and Bahrain – the Bahrain French Town Planning Initiative (BFTPI).

As the French public agency for international technical cooperation, Expertise France has been mandated by the French Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development to lead the BFTPI project, which brings together a multidisciplinary team of more than 70 experts within a public-private consortium associating the engineering and architecture companies Arep Ville, Egis International and Setec Organisation.

Expertise France

Expertise France, as the French public agency for international technical cooperation, provides partner governments and local authorities with professional French technical expertise in developing and implementing public policies and defining strategies

Role in the project:

Leader entity of the BFTPI project, Expertise France is responsible for:

  • – the overall strategic management of the project and the achievement of results;
  • – the institutional dialogue with all local counterparts and the Client;
  • – the technical coordination of the teams of experts and their associated deliverables;
  • – the communication on the project’s strategic orientations;
  • – the implementation of IT activities

Arep

AREP is a multidisciplinary organisation designing spaces for cities on the move both in France and across the globe. AREP works on different scales going from large metropolitan areas and cities to individual buildings and street furniture. The team of 900 people consists of architects, urban planners, engineers, economists, architectural programming consultants and construction operations managers. AREP offers expertise in all areas of urban planning and construction: multimodal hubs and railway stations, public amenities, offices, hotels and housing, shopping centres and technical facilities.

 

Role in the project:

AREP is responsible for:

  • – the elaboration of the Urban Design Guidelines, a set of documents focused on sustainable planning principles for implementation of the Strategic Plan;
  • – the Manama-Muharraq Waterfront Masterplan, a pilot project that exemplifies best urban design practice applied to a strategic area of the island

Egis

Egis is an international consulting group for engineering and for project management and operation. In consulting and engineering, the group works in the sectors of transportation and mobility, urban development and city, constructions, industry, water, mining, environment, waste management and energy. In the road and airport sectors Egis offer extends to project development, capital investment, equipment control, operations and mobility services. Consultancy activities also encompass economic, financial and institutional issues, rural development, governance and organisation management as well as training (including capacity building).

With 13,600 employees, including 8,200 in engineering, the Group generated and managed 1,050 billion euros in revenue in 2017 (62% of turnover abroad). Drawing on its experience of over 65 years, the group is notably involved in major projects in France and all over the world.

 

Role in the project:

EGIS is responsible for:

  • – institutional governance and organisation restructuring: the top management took over the proposals quickly: the former General Directorate of Urban Planning (GDUP) turned into the Urban Planning and Development Authority (UPDA) in August 2017.
  • – capacity building and re-engineering of processes, strengthening the UPDA’s effectiveness, efficiency and accountability.

Setec

Founded in 1957, the Setec group is now one of France’s largest engineering firms. The Setec group works on all stages of the project life, from feasibility studies to commissioning. Setec group fields of activity include, among others: economics & traffic engineering, transport infrastructures (roads and motorways, railways, public transport, airports, ports…), intelligent transport systems, railway systems, building, industry, energy, water and waste engineering, environmental protection, project management, strategy and organisation, and urban planning & development.

 

Role in the project:

Setec is responsible for:

  • – the elaboration of the integrated territorial strategy, called the National Land Policy–Strategic Plan, paying particular attention to consultations with Bahraini institutions.
  • – the updating and upgrading of a Land Use and Transport Model: the traffic and incomes of several Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) projects in urban transport will be estimated with this tool.