Bentley Systems, Incorporated, the infrastructure engineering software company, has announced that Saudi-based Dar International for Engineering Consultancy is one of the finalists for its 2026 Year in Infrastructure (YII) Awards in the Transmission and Distribution category for its Nariyah 380kV substation project in the kingdom. 

It is the only one from the e Middle East region  to make it to the (YII) Awards finalists list. 

For more than two decades, the annual awards have celebrated infrastructure professionals and their innovative use of Bentley software to improve how infrastructure is designed, built, and operated.

Selected by independent panels of global industry experts, this year’s finalists demonstrate how infrastructure professionals are leveraging technologies including digital twins and AI to deliver highly efficient project outcomes. In a review of the 36 finalist projects, 24 finalists reported using AI in some form, while 22 showed strong or supporting evidence of a connected digital foundation.

“The YII Awards honor the professionals behind the infrastructure that communities rely on every day,” said Cate Lochead, chief marketing officer, Bentley Systems. “This year’s finalists show how infrastructure is moving from disconnected files, manual workflows, and periodic inspections to connected information, intelligent automation, and continuous insight. Across the finalists, digital twins, AI, analytics, and connected data help teams make more informed decisions, explore more alternatives faster, and operate infrastructure with greater confidence and resilience. The breadth of projects—from geotechnical and subsurface modeling to wildfire risk and landslide mitigation, coastal and flood infrastructure, and stormwater planning—demonstrate that the future of infrastructure is not just more digital, it is more intelligent.”

Chosen from more than 300 submissions representing 53 countries, the YII Awards 2026 honor projects across 12 categories spanning the infrastructure lifecycle. Finalists were selected for the innovation of their projects, the challenges they addressed, and the results they delivered. Across the submissions, engineers and project teams showed how using Bentley software can help break down information silos, connect data across people and assets, and apply AI to improve decisions and drive measurably better infrastructure.

YII Awards 2026 Finalists by Category

Bridges and tunnels

• AYESA Engineering (Portugal): Porto Metro 3.0: Optimizing tunnel design at scale 

• Parsons (on behalf of Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) (United States): Talmadge Memorial Bridge: Modernizing a critical Savannah crossing 

• SUDOP PRAHA a.s. (Czech Republic): Praha–Beroun Tunnel: Designing Czechia’s largest rail tunnel 

Cities and facilities

• Baosteel Engineering & Technology Group (China): Industrial site: City “rust belt rebirth” transformation

• Pinnacle Future Build Pvt. Ltd. (India): Pinnacle Madurai campus: A digital twin for smart operations 

• SUDOP PRAHA a.s. (Czech Republic): Prague main railway station: A digital twin for urban transformation 

Construction

• AtkinsRéalis (United Kingdom): Hinkley Point C: Advancing 4D construction at scale 

• DPR Construction and Trillium Advisory Group ULC (United States): Abilene data center: Connecting digital delivery to construction reality 

• Wills Bros (Ireland): Dublin Port Berths 52 and 53: Improving marine construction with 4D planning 

Energy production

• CITIC Heavy Industry Machinery Co., Ltd. (China): Wind power equipment: Digital innovation throughout the entire lifecycle

• PT Wijaya Karya (Persero) Tbk (Indonesia): Lumut Balai 2 geothermal power plant: Transforming clean energy

• South-to-North Water Diversion (Chongqing) New Energy Development Co., Ltd. and POWERCHINA Zhongnan Engineering Corporation Ltd. (China): Chongqing Yunyang Jianquan pumped storage: Innovation in a digital power station 

Geospatial and reality modeling

• Aboitiz Renewables Inc. (Philippines): GeoShield: Predicting landslide risk with geospatial intelligence

• Department of Transport and Planning (Australia): Transport reality capture and integrated reality data management platform: Creating a shared view of the physical network 

• Haskoning (United Kingdom): Port of Dover: Scaling maritime inspection with drones 

Project delivery

• Kiewit (United States): LAND: Transforming project delivery through connected data

• Port Polska (Poland): Port Polska: Connecting information across a major infrastructure program

• RS&H Inc. (United States): Moving I‑4 forward: Connecting project knowledge and delivery

Rail and transit

• NMA - Nikhil Mahashur and Associates (India): Hajimalang Gad funicular rail: Engineering access through challenging terrain 

• Skanska Costain STRABAG JV (United Kingdom): HS2 London tunnels: Rehearsing construction before it happens 

• SUDOP PRAHA a.s. (Czech Republic): Central Bohemia high-speed rail: Connecting design and project knowledge 

Roads and highways

• Burgess & Niple Inc. (United States): US-98: Accelerating design-build through digital innovation

• PT Wijaya Karya (Persero) Tbk (Indonesia): Semarang-Demak Toll Road:  Designing for resilience at the edge of the sea

• Torrens to Darlington Alliance (John Holland, Bouygues, Arcadis, Jacobs, Ventia) in partnership with the South Australian Government, Department for Infrastructure and Transport (Australia): Torrens to Darlington (T2D): Digital delivery for South Australia’s north-south corridor 

Structural engineering

• Arcadis (United States): AutoFW: Automating design of flood protection structures

• PT Wijaya Karya Bangunan Gedung Tbk (WIKA Gedung) (Indonesia): Jakarta International Stadium: Engineering the largest retractable roof

• QB Engineering & Construction (Philippines): Our Lady of Light Parish Church, Loon: Digitally reconstructing a historic landmark 

Subsurface modeling and analysis

• Intertechne Consultores S.A. (Brazil): Tailings Dam: Innovative use of geological and geotechnical models and assessment

• Mott MacDonald (Czech Republic): Praha-Smíchov–Beroun rail line: Building a connected subsurface model 

• Mott MacDonald (Singapore): Changi Airport T5: 3D geological modeling and analysis to support planning decisions for T5’s complex ground conditions

Transmission and distribution

• APD Global (Australia): Clean Energy Link–North: Accelerating the renewable transition through AI‑enabled digital delivery

• Dar International for Engineering Consultancy (Saudi Arabia): Nariyah 380kV substation: Integrated digital delivery of a high-voltage GIS SS

• NV5, India (United States): Utility infrastructure protection: Mapping risk across 17,600 miles of grid 

Water and wastewater

• Evides N.V. (Netherlands): Water distribution: Operational digital twins for a 14,000-kilometer water network

• Haskoning India Consulting Pvt Ltd. (India): Delhi stormwater drainage masterplan: Designing for a flood-free national capital

• Hunan Provincial Water Resources and Hydropower Survey, Design, Planning, and Research Institute Co., Ltd. (China): Hunan Zishui Quanmutang Reservoir: Applying full lifecycle BIM technology

Finalists will present their projects during Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure event being held at the Fairmont Singapore, October 6-7, 2026. The presentations will focus on the engineering context, project execution, digital methods used, and results achieved.