Riyadh-based Princess Nora Bint Abdulrahman University (PNU), the largest women-only university in the world, has awarded an annual maintenance services contract to Schneider Electric, a specialist in energy management.

As per the deal, Schneider Electric will manage the maintenance services of first phase of the 800-hectare campus spanning 1.2 million sq m. The company will partner with Zahran O&M Company on this project, said a statement from Schneider Electric.

As part of the services solutions agreement, Schneider Electric will conduct scheduled predictive and preventive maintenance operations, as well as corrective intervention and performance measurement.

In addition, it will provide full online access to the equipment database in order to facilitate effective monitoring and reporting (digitalized maintenance), the company statement added.

The services contract additionally tasks Schneider Electric to drive technical and operational training for the maintenance team in areas such as operation of electrical equipment, maintenance, and ability to identify and overcome emergency situation.

The provision of medium and low voltage spare parts to ensure the smooth functioning of all university facilities is another component of the agreement that includes 24/7 on-site availability.

Christophe Campagne, the country president, Schneider Electric Saudi Arabia, said: “Winning the prestigious PNU contract comes as a reiteration of their confidence in our solutions that helped the university gain the coveted Leed certification. The new agreement will allow us to deploy best-in-class solutions that contribute to the institution’s maintenance.”

Adel El-Ouahma, the VP (Services Business Unit) Saudi Arabia said: "We are proud to add PNU as our ‘services maintenance contract’ client. We hope that our value add as a manufacturer will benefit the university and increase the life cycle of the equipment and ensure high standard digitized maintenance with our predictive and preventive maintenance."

"We are looking forward to bringing our expertise gained from working with other educational institutions in the region to shape yet another enabling student environment at PNU," stated El-Ouahma.

PNU’s sprawling campus features a five-storey college department, research laboratory, library, mosque, medical center, convention center, community center and residential premises.

As a LEED certified university, PNU has incorporated energy efficient products from Schneider Electric to minimize power wastage and promote cost-effective electricity consumption.

Mohammed Al Kwai, the general director of Facilities and Support for PNU, said: “The maintenance contract has been awarded aptly and we are pleased to entrust this responsibility to Schneider Electric. As a hardware equipment manufacturer, the company’s extensive industry experience will prove a crucial advantage in ensuring the smooth functioning of the building facilities.”

Earlier this year, one of Schneider Electric’s projects, the King Saud University Girls’ Campus was named National Winner in Saudi Arabia by the MEED Quality Awards for Projects for its design, architecture, engineering, and construction excellence.-TradeArabia News Service