Community Management Week facilitates new contracts for built environment sector

Dubai, UAE, 2 June 2016: The Community Management Week (CMW), a pioneering event that brings five dedicated shows under one banner, ended on a high note last week with the signing of new major business deals and engagements with thousands of visitors and professionals who witnessed a range of sustainable and cutting-edge community management solutions from the inter-related shows.

Organized by dmg events, CMW hosted FM EXPO, The Big 5 Outdoor Design & Build Show, Middle East Waste & Recycling, Commercial Cleaning & Hygiene, and Elevators & Access under a single platform for the first time from May 23 to 25, 2016 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Among the notable achievements during the event was the signing of an agreement between the Ras Al Khaimah Waste Management Authority and Qatar-based Al Qamra Facilities Management firm which will provide innovative waste management solutions for the healthcare sector.

During the Middle East Recycling & Waste Conference held on May 25, the two parties announced the formation of a public-private partnership (PPP) company within a month that will manage the collection of medical waste from public and private hospitals and medical centers in Ras Al Khaimah for 15 years. The new firm, named RAK QAFAM, will be 51 per cent owned by RAK WMA while 49 per cent will be held by Al Qamra.

Jaafar Shubber, Senior Project Manager, Community Management Week, said: “The organisers of Community Management Week are proud of the outcome of this debut event, which has successfully put together the various solutions for the built community sector under one roof. As problems become more complex for the built environment, more integrated solutions will be needed and require a multi-disciplinary approach as exhibited by our partners during the shows.”

“The deal between Al Qamra and RAK WMA signifies the importance of facilitating a comprehensive platform for the region where the best business solutions to the present challenges to the community and the built environment sector can be found. Ras Al Khaimah has promptly addressed its medical waste by engaging with experts and raising this concern through the Community Management Week,” Shubber added.

The PPP is one of the results of the emirate’s healthcare, hazardous and special waste study conducted by H-2-P Project Management FZC. The advisory firm, led by Andreas Hoeptner, presented its findings on ‘Medical Waste Masterplan: Developing a Healthcare Waste Strategy in Ras Al Khaimah’ at the expo.

Sonia Y. Nasser, Technical Director of RAK WMA, and M. Fadi Jomaa, Managing Partner of Al Qamra Facilities Management LLC, signed the deal under which RAK will provide the land for a healthcare waste treatment plant while Al Qamra will invest in the facility and infrastructure, inclusive of environmentally-safe technologies such the autoclave sterilization system with pre-shredding methodology fully-compliant to World Health Organization standards.

The newly formed company said its RAK facility will collect and process approximately 500 tonnes of medical waste annually and will eventually expand capacity to accommodate waste from other Northern Emirates.

Organizers have revealed that next year’s edition of Community Management Week will take place on September 25 to 27, 2017 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.