Bader Al-Salman: With the start of its implementation, the Professional Companies – Engineering Law enhances youth entry into the private sector
Bader Al-Salman, President of the Kuwait Union of Engineering Offices and Consulting Firms, announced the commencement of the full and practical implementation of the Professional Engineering Companies Law and its Executive Regulations, revealing the issuance of the first official licenses through a collaborative system involving the Kuwait Municipality, the Ministries of Commerce and Industry and Justice.
Al-Salman emphasized that the launch of the law and its regulations marks the beginning of a comprehensive and radical restructuring of the engineering work system in Kuwait, transitioning the sector from the traditional individual framework to the horizons of sustainable institutional work. This aligns with the state’s developmental vision and enhances the status of Kuwaiti engineering cadres and their pivotal role in building Kuwait’s future.
He expressed his hope that the linkage between the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Justice, the Kuwait Municipality (represented by the Committee for Regulating the Practice of Professions), and the Kuwait Union of Engineering Offices and Consulting Firms would yield an integrated electronic system via the Kuwait Business Center (the Single Window). This system would enable the establishment of professional engineering companies, reservation of their trade names, and the issuance of practice licenses entirely digitally and instantly, without the need for paper transactions. This reflects advanced administrative thinking that supports the business environment and stimulates investment in the engineering consulting sector.
Al-Salman clarified that the implementation of the law addresses a historical legal gap that Kuwaiti engineering offices and consulting firms have suffered from for decades. Previously, the absence or death of an office owner inevitably led to the closure of the entity, resulting in the loss of employees’ and clients’ rights and the dissipation of expertise accumulated over many years. Today, the law allows for transformation into professional companies (limited liability or closed joint-stock companies), ensuring the continuity of the engineering entity and the legal transfer and determination of shares. Furthermore, it protects the personal financial liability of engineer partners by separating it from the company’s obligations, thereby granting offices legal security and sustainable financial and administrative stability.
He noted that the law opens broad horizons for the integration of existing consulting offices and firms, and allows young engineers to join as partners under a single legal umbrella. He added that this transformation positions Kuwaiti professional companies to compete strongly for winning the state’s major developmental projects, standing on equal footing with international consulting firms, and even exporting Kuwaiti engineering services to regional and international markets, citing the expertise possessed by some Kuwaiti engineering offices and consulting firms at both regional and international levels.
