مشتريات التعدين في السعودية: كيف يصبح الموردون الدوليون شركاء موثوقين

The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources has opened the largest exploration licensing rounds in the Kingdom's history. In December 2025 alone, 24 companies and consortia won licenses covering 172 sites and more than 24,000 square kilometres, with over SAR 671 million in exploration spending committed for the first two years. More rounds are planned.

Every one of those licenses becomes a drilling program. Most of the companies holding them, and many of the contractors bidding to drill for them, have never run a program in Saudi Arabia. That is where a drilling consultant earns their fee.

1. What a Saudi drilling consultant actually does

A good drilling consultant sits between the license holder, the drilling contractor and the realities of the field. The work usually covers:

• Scoping the program: meters, methods, rig types, sample handling and a realistic schedule.
• Selecting and qualifying contractors, including their fleet, people, spares and local setup.
• Planning mobilization: customs, permits, water, camps, haulage and site access.
• Setting up field controls: daily reporting, meters per shift, core recovery, standby and safety.
• Watching the commercial side: rates, standby clauses, change orders and payment timing.

The consultant does not replace the geologist or the contractor. The job is to make sure the plan on paper can be executed on the ground.

2. For license holders: protect the budget before the first hole

Exploration budgets in Saudi Arabia are committed against license obligations. A program that starts late or drills slowly does not just cost more. It puts work commitments at risk.

The most common problems are predictable. Contractors are selected on rate per meter alone. Mobilization is assumed to take weeks when it takes months. Water and access are treated as afterthoughts. Standby terms are left vague until the first dispute.

An experienced consultant addresses these before the contract is signed, when they are cheap to fix.

3. For drilling contractors: the bid is the easy part

International drilling contractors often price Saudi work the way they price work at home. That rarely survives contact with the Kingdom.

Fleet suitability for desert conditions, spare parts held in country, Saudi hiring and training plans, local entity and registration, payment terms and working capital all shape whether a contract makes money. A consultant who has run drilling in Saudi Arabia can pressure test the bid and the operating plan before you commit rigs and people.

4. Field performance is where programs are won or lost

Once rigs are turning, the gap between a good program and a poor one shows up in the daily numbers. Meters per shift, rig availability, core recovery, sample turnaround and lost time all tell you whether the program is on track.

I once saw rigs sit idle for nearly a week over a roughly $9 core lifter that was not in stock. The part was cheap. The downtime was not. Good field controls catch those risks before they stop the program.

5. Localization is part of the plan, not a box to tick

Saudi Arabia expects contractors to employ, train and promote Saudi nationals. Programs that plan for this from day one build stronger crews and better relationships with the client and the Ministry. Programs that treat it as paperwork usually struggle with both.

6. What to look for in a drilling consultant

• Direct experience running drilling operations in Saudi Arabia, not just advising on them.
• Knowledge of both sides of the contract: license holder and contractor.
• A practical view of mobilization, logistics, HSE and workforce development.
• Independence from the contractors being evaluated.
• The ability to stay with the program into the field, not just deliver a report.

How Vestigium helps

Vestigium works with license holders, mining companies and drilling contractors entering or expanding in Saudi Arabia. We help scope programs, select and qualify contractors, plan mobilization, build localization plans and keep field performance on track. For the wider picture, read How Drilling Contractors Should Prepare to Enter Saudi Arabia and The Economics of Saudi Drilling.

Kurt Radtke is President of Appia Rare Earths & Uranium Corp. and Founder & CEO of Vestigium Global Advisory Group. He spent five years in charge of exploration drilling at Maaden, and his Saudi mining experience includes executive responsibility across large scale exploration and drilling operations, contractor management, logistics, procurement, workforce development and operational performance. He is the author of Saudi Arabia’s Mineral Opportunity.