More than three months after sending a signed five-year contract to develop a new engineering program at Saudi Arabia’s Jubail University College (JUC), Cal Poly still doesn’t know the document’s fate.
The deal, worth $5.9 million, was controversial due to the Saudi government’s discrimination against women, Jews and homosexuals. Some worried that this would lead to discrimination against Cal Poly particiapants in the program.
However, Cal Poly signed and sent final draft after Cal Poly’s negotiators felt the criticisms were addressed.
As the Mustang Daily reported on July 31, a response was expected in the weeks following contract’s delivery on July 10.
But the response was recieved two months later – a vague e-mail from Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, which oversees the JUC. The e-mail said the deal ran into unforeseen conflicts with Saudi procurement law, and that the participants would “have to resolve a few legal issues.”
“The reason we signed the contract was that terms and conditions had been met that satisfied both parties, so this was kind of a shock,” Susan Opava, dean of Research and Graduate Programs said.
Opava quoted the e-mail, saying, “Due to unforeseen circumstances resulting from the Saudi procurement law, we have to resolve a few legal issues. The Royal Commission shall work diligently in resolving this matter so that an association can be legally enacted accordingly.”
Procurement refers to the purchase of Cal Poly’s services and expertise in establishing an engineering program. Some in the College of Engineering think there may have been a mix-up at the lower level of Saudi bureaucracy.
There has been no official contact since that e-mail in early September. While it may seem frustrating to be put on hold after such a long negotiation process, the college is taking a “wait and see approach.”
“It happens,” Ed Sullivan, associate dean of the College of Engineering said. “It certainly happens in this country. Where you’re setting out to establish a major contract and some people are unaware of some rules and they just charge ahead until it gets to a level in their bureaucracy where it’s caught. It’s not unique to the Saudi situation.”
Sullivan speculates that the timing of the contract might have played a part in the delay, since it was sent before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
“The message we got from them in September was right before Ramadan and they work during Ramadan, but there’s a lot of things that get put on hold,” Sullivan said. “It’s unfortunate timing. It might have added to the delay. It’s long to us because we’d like to know what’s going on, but we have to be polite and not bug them.”