Project controls · Strategic PMO · Stage-gate assurance

I build the control systems behind confident project decisions.

I establish the governance, controls and decision systems that keep complex programmes aligned, measurable and ready to deliver.

Years across engineering, controls and PMO
12+
Portfolio reporting environment
SAR 300B+
Project management credential
PMP
University of Hull · 2026
MBA
Bassam A. Zaidan, MBA, PMP, Project Controls & Strategic PMO Leader
Current focusStrategic PMO · Stage-gate control
Scroll to explore

The project-controls operating system

Six disciplines. One reliable decision environment.

Scroll through the control chain. The visual remains fixed while the management question changes.Tap each discipline to examine the management question, evidence signal and control response.

Active discipline01 / 06
Governance

Who decides, against which evidence, and at what point?

Decision rights, gate criteria, policies and accountable ownership.

01
Governance

Who decides, against which evidence, and at what point?

Decision rights, gate criteria, policies and accountable ownership.

Criteria · ownership · approvals
02
Planning

How does scope become an integrated, executable delivery pathway?

WBS, schedule logic, milestones, interfaces and delivery sequencing.

Scope · logic · milestones
03
Cost

What is committed, forecast and exposed against the approved baseline?

Budgets, commitments, expenditure, forecasting and variance control.

Baseline · forecast · variance
04
Risk & Change

What could alter the outcome, and how is intervention controlled?

Visible uncertainty, controlled change and escalation before impact.

Exposure · change · escalation
05
Reporting

What information must leaders see to make the next decision?

Integrated performance information, trends and executive-level clarity.

KPIs · trends · decisions
06
Assurance

Is the programme genuinely ready to proceed?

Readiness reviews, stage-gate evidence and delivery confidence.

Readiness · evidence · confidence

Career progression

A project-control capability built through real delivery environments.

Engineering delivery established the technical foundation. Cost, schedule, portfolio integration and SPMO governance were then added as distinct layers—not presented as a conventional employment timeline.

Capability layer5 / 5

Strategic PMO assurance

Strategic PMO Manager — Stage-Gate Control

Umm Al Qura for Development and Construction Company

Nov 2025 – PresentJeddah, Saudi Arabia
  • Design and implement a RIBA-aligned Asset Development Stage-Gate framework across Masar programme workstreams.
  • Lead portfolio-level gate reviews and evidence readiness across cost, quality and schedule controls.
  • Coordinate design, commercial, delivery and operations inputs and produce executive governance reporting.
01
Nov 2013 – Nov 2018Jazan, Saudi Arabia

Engineering delivery from design through construction

Project Engineer

Saudi Aramco

  • Managed design-to-construction packages covering expressway junctions, flood mitigation and commercial-port buildings.
  • Reviewed engineering drawings, specifications and contractor inspection and test plans.
  • Developed scopes of work and technical bid-evaluation criteria for multiple contracts.
02
Nov 2018 – Jul 2020Jazan, Saudi Arabia

Cost, progress and contract-control discipline

Project Controls Manager

Saudi Aramco

  • Managed project controls for the SAR 3bn Jazan City programme.
  • Supervised PMC contract administration, contractor invoicing, change control, EOT/claims and financial closeout.
  • Directed monthly expenditure tracking and monthly and semi-annual progress reporting to project leadership and the PMO.
03
Jul 2020 – Sep 2023NEOM Region, Saudi Arabia

Integrated controls across a mega-programme portfolio

Regional Project Controls Manager & Senior Project Engineer

NEOM

  • Developed SOPs for cost, planning, risk and reporting and defined WBS, CBS and RBS frameworks across regional portfolios.
  • Developed L1/L2/L3 schedules in Primavera P6 and managed EVM, budget forecasting, accruals and executive reporting.
  • Managed FIDIC-based procurement, contractor invoicing, change, EOT/claims and financial closeout across multi-billion-SAR programmes.
  • Delivered concurrent design and construction projects through commissioning and handover as Senior Project Engineer.
04
Oct 2023 – Oct 2025Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Commercial governance supporting project delivery

Procurement Excellence & Local Content Manager

Al Balad Development Company

  • Built end-to-end procurement infrastructure, including supplier registration, FIDIC-based contract suites and controlled workflows.
  • Managed the RFP lifecycle for PMC, CSC and construction procurements using Oracle Fusion Cloud.
  • Created automated Power BI KPI reporting and strengthened local-content performance visibility.
  • Managed pre-award and post-award contract activities, including EOT/claims resolution and financial closeout.
05
Nov 2025 – PresentJeddah, Saudi Arabia

SPMO governance and lifecycle assurance

Strategic PMO Manager — Stage-Gate Control

Umm Al Qura for Development and Construction Company

  • Design and implement a RIBA-aligned Asset Development Stage-Gate framework across Masar programme workstreams.
  • Lead portfolio-level gate reviews and evidence readiness across cost, quality and schedule controls.
  • Coordinate design, commercial, delivery and operations inputs and produce executive governance reporting.

Selected impact

Control challenges translated into management systems.

Three case-study chapters demonstrate stage-gate assurance, integrated controls and delivery discipline using real programme contexts rather than generic portfolio cards.

Professional profile

Engineering judgement, controls discipline and PMO governance.

Project controls and strategic PMO leader with 12+ years across Saudi mega- and giga-projects in infrastructure, real estate and industrial development. Experience includes RIBA-aligned stage-gate governance, integrated cost, schedule, risk and reporting controls, EVM, FIDIC contract administration, claims and change control, and executive portfolio reporting across Masar, NEOM, Al Balad Development Company and Saudi Aramco.

Control capability matrix
01

Planning

  • Primavera P6
  • L1/L2/L3 scheduling
  • WBS and interface management
02

Performance

  • Earned Value Management
  • Forecasting and accruals
  • Executive reporting
03

Governance

  • RIBA-aligned stage gates
  • Risk and change
  • Policies and procedures
04

Systems & Delivery

  • Primavera Unifier and Aconex
  • Power BI
  • FIDIC contract administration
Credentials

Formal education and professional qualification supporting project leadership.

Master of Business Administration

University of Hull, United Kingdom

2026
Project Management Professional

Project Management Institute · Credential #3310728

PMP
BSc Mechanical Engineering

Jazan University, Saudi Arabia

2013

Connect

For project controls, SPMO and programme-delivery conversations.

Based in Jeddah and working across complex development and infrastructure environments in Saudi Arabia.