Middle Eastern project logistics is plagued by client caprice—like our Dubai overpass project, which cost us $1.5 million.  

Two years ago, a Dubai client asked us to ship steel structures for an overpass. We spent $800,000 on freight—but when the structures were installed, the client said: “It’s not grand enough—demolish and rebuild.” We had to ship the structures back, plus reproduction costs, totaling $1.5 million. The 3-month delay added $500,000 in labor/construction costs—none of which were in the original budget.  

Many Middle Eastern clients change plans for “aesthetics” or “expectations,” wasting your shipping/production/construction costs. A client working on a hotel project had 3 design changes—each requiring re-shipping—costing a 40% overrun.  

Our advice: Add “design change cost-sharing clauses” to contracts and only produce/ship after design confirmation. Work with forwarders who have local warehouses to store changed materials—avoid back-and-forth shipping waste.