Petromarsh delivers turnkey control system projects across the GCC and Europe, with one contract covering design, procurement, panel build, installation, commissioning and handover. As an EPC automation contractor we take single-point responsibility for the control, safety and power systems, so your project team manages one interface instead of six.
A turnkey project means we take the automation scope from a process design to a working, documented and accepted system. You give us the process design, the client specifications and the site. We give back a system that has passed its site acceptance test, with trained operators and a complete handover dossier.
We develop the control philosophy, I/O list, cause and effect charts, loop diagrams, cable schedules and network architecture, then take them through client review to Issued for Construction (IFC) status.
We buy the controllers, I/O, field instruments, cable and panels, expedite and inspect them, and build and test the cabinets before they leave the workshop.
Our teams install, terminate, loop check, pre-commission and commission the system, run the SAT with you, and hand over a system that operations can own from day one.
On many projects the control system sits between too many parties. The process licensor writes the philosophy, a consultant draws the loops, one vendor supplies the DCS, another the safety system, a panel shop builds cabinets and a separate contractor commissions. Every handover between them is a place where scope gets lost. A single EPC automation contractor closes those gaps. The same engineers who wrote the cause and effect charts test them at FAT and prove them again at SAT. Turnkey delivery is one part of our wider control systems, instrumentation and power work.
Turnkey control system projects are won or lost in detailed design. Every later activity, from purchase orders to loop checks, reads from a small set of controlling documents. We keep them in one engineering database, so a change to a tag flows to every drawing that uses it.
How the plant is run: control strategies, start-up and shutdown sequences, operating modes, the alarm philosophy to ISA-18.2, the HMI approach to ISA-101, and the split between the basic process control system (BPCS) and the safety instrumented system (SIS).
Every signal with its ISA-5.1 tag, signal type, range, units, hazardous area rating, controller assignment and spare allowance. It sizes the hardware and fixes the cabinet count.
The trip and interlock logic as a matrix operations can read. Causes down the side, effects across the top, with voting and time delays shown. They are tested line by line at FAT and again at SAT.
One drawing per loop from field device to controller channel, showing junction boxes, marshalling, barriers or isolators, terminal numbers and cores. They are the commissioning team's main tool.
Cable type, cores, length, glands, route and segregation class for every cable, plus tray fill checks. Accurate schedules prevent shortfalls on site and wrong glands in Ex areas.
Control and plant networks, redundancy (PRP, ring or dual star), zones and conduits to IEC 62443, time synchronisation, and links to third-party packages over PROFINET, Modbus TCP or IEC 61850.
At front-end engineering design (FEED) we confirm the architecture, the I/O count with spare capacity, cabinet locations and power demand. The result is a cost estimate you can take to a final investment decision. In detailed design we expand that into the full document set. We support HAZOP and SIL determination studies, write the safety requirements specification (SRS) for each safety instrumented function under IEC 61511, and produce the functional design specification (FDS) that the software is built against.
Each document moves through Issued for Review, Issued for Approval and Issued for Construction, with a comment register so nothing is closed without an answer. We apply IEC 81346 reference designations where the client asks for them. On TenneT's 980 MW HVDC offshore wind converter platform, built by McDermott at its Jebel Ali yard, our commissioning team worked on a system where every device carried an IEC 81346 designation, from the redundant S7-400H controllers to the SITOP power supplies and E-T-A circuit breakers. That discipline makes commissioning and later fault finding far quicker.
Procurement on a turnkey project is more than buying parts. Long-lead items set the critical path, and a wrong module found at FAT can cost weeks. We run procurement as an engineering activity, with technical bid evaluation, vendor document control and inspection at each hold point.
| Activity | What we do | Key control |
|---|---|---|
| Technical bid evaluation | Compare vendor offers against the specification, list deviations and clarify them before award. | TBE and deviation list |
| Expediting | Track long-lead items such as controllers, analysers and switchgear, and chase vendor documents. | Vendor document register |
| Panel design and build | Cabinet layouts, heat load calculations, segregation of intrinsically safe and non-IS wiring, and assembly verification. | IEC 61439, IEC 60079-11 |
| Inspection and test plans | Hold, witness and review points agreed with the client and any third-party inspector for each package. | ITP and inspection release note |
| Factory acceptance test | Hardware, software, I/O and cause and effect testing against an approved procedure, with a punch list. | IEC 62381 FAT |
| Integrated FAT | Controllers, SIS, HMI and third-party package links tested together before shipment. | IEC 62381 FIT |
| Preservation and shipping | Packing, desiccant, climate control and sea or air freight as required. | Preservation records |
Every package has an inspection and test plan before work starts. The ITP lists each activity, its acceptance criteria, the reference document and who must attend. Hold points stop work until the client signs. Witness points need notice. Review points are records only. Our quality plan follows ISO 9001 principles, and results go on numbered check sheets that later form part of the handover dossier.
FAT is where most problems should be found, because they are cheap to fix in a workshop. We simulate every I/O point, force every cause and check every effect. We test controller and network redundancy by pulling CPUs, power supplies and fibre links, and confirm HMI graphics and alarms. Open items go on a punch list: category A must close before shipment, category B before commissioning and category C before final handover.
The right contract depends on how well the scope is defined and how much risk each party should carry. We work as a lump sum EPC automation contractor, on a reimbursable basis, or as part of an EPCM team.
Under EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) the contractor designs, buys and builds, and carries the cost and time risk. Under EPCM (engineering, procurement and construction management) the contractor engineers and manages on the owner's behalf, but the owner holds the supply and construction contracts and the commercial risk that goes with them. Many GCC owners use FIDIC forms. The FIDIC Silver Book is written for EPC and turnkey projects, while the Yellow Book covers plant and design-build.
Most delays on control system projects come from interfaces, not from the control system itself. We hold an interface register from kick-off covering package vendor control panels, motor control centres, switchgear, fire and gas, HVAC and telecoms. Each interface point has an owner, a signal list, a protocol and a test. We attend mechanical and electrical design reviews so that instrument connections, cable entries and MCC interlocks are agreed before drawings freeze.
We build a resource-loaded schedule linked to the main project programme, with long-lead procurement, FAT and energisation dates as key milestones. A live risk register tracks items such as late vendor data, client review cycles, customs clearance and site access. Each risk has an owner, a mitigation and a due date, and we review it with you every week.
We design, build and test to the international standards below, alongside the owner's own specifications and any local authority requirements.
FAT, FIT, SAT and SIT for automation systems in the process industry.
Electrical and instrumentation loop checks before commissioning.
Safety instrumented systems for the process sector, from SIL determination to proof testing.
Programming languages for PLC and controller application software.
Tag numbers and symbols on P&IDs, loop diagrams and the I/O list.
Design, selection and erection of equipment in explosive atmospheres, with IEC 60079-17 for inspection.
Low-voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies, including temperature-rise verification.
Zones, conduits and security levels for industrial automation and control systems.
Alarm management lifecycle and high-performance HMI design.
Every project follows the same lifecycle. The gates between phases are where you approve progress, and where we stop problems moving downstream.
Site work runs under the client's permit to work system. Our supervisors raise and hold permits for hot work, confined space, work at height and electrical work, and apply lock-out tag-out and isolation certificates before any circuit is touched. Panel energisation and live loop testing are controlled by energisation permits, with SIMOPS (simultaneous operations) plans when other trades are working nearby. Every shift starts with a toolbox talk and a job safety analysis for the task. When the schedule needs more people, we can field commissioning teams of 50 or 100 people with their own supervisors.
A turnkey project ends with a system and a set of records that let operations run it and maintenance fix it. We agree the dossier contents and format at kick-off, not in the final week.
| Document | Purpose | Phase |
|---|---|---|
| Control philosophy and FDS | How the plant is controlled and how the software must behave. | Design |
| I/O list, instrument index and data sheets | Every signal and device, with its specification. | Design |
| Cause and effect charts and SRS | Trip logic and safety function requirements under IEC 61511. | Design |
| Loop, wiring and termination drawings | Connection detail from field device to controller channel. | Design, as-built |
| Cable schedules and block diagrams | Cable routing, sizes and segregation. | Design, as-built |
| Network architecture and IP schedule | Topology, addressing, redundancy and security zones. | Design, as-built |
| ITPs, FAT and SAT procedures and reports | Evidence that the system was tested and accepted. | Test |
| Loop check and calibration certificates | A signed record for each loop and instrument. | Pre-commissioning |
| Ex inspection records and certificates | Proof of hazardous area compliance to IEC 60079-14. | Installation |
| Software backups and licence register | Controller, HMI and SIS application files under version control. | Handover |
| O&M manuals, spares list and training records | What operations and maintenance need to run the plant. | Handover |
Handover starts the defects liability period, usually 12 to 24 months depending on the contract. During that period we correct defects in our scope at our cost, keep the as-built documents current with any changes, and support the operations team by phone, by remote access where the client's security policy allows it, and on site. After warranty we offer maintenance contracts, spare parts supply and periodic system health checks.
Petromarsh has worked in the region for more than 17 years from offices in the UK and Dubai. Gulf site conditions and client specifications shape the design from day one.
Summer shade temperatures in Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and eastern Saudi Arabia pass 50 °C, and sun-exposed cabinets run hotter still. We calculate heat loads, specify sunshades and panel coolers, and derate power supplies and I/O to their real ambient.
Fine dust blocks filters and fans. Outdoor enclosures get suitable IP ratings to IEC 60529, filters are placed for easy maintenance, and equipment rooms are kept positively pressurised where specified.
Coastal sites in Dubai, Qatar, Bahrain and along the Gulf see high humidity and salt-laden air. We specify stainless or coated enclosures, anti-condensation heaters, conformal-coated electronics where required and suitable glands.
Oil, gas and petrochemical sites have Zone 1 and Zone 2 areas classified to IEC 60079-10-1. Equipment carries IECEx or ATEX certification as specified, and installations are inspected to IEC 60079-14 and IEC 60079-17.
We engineer to the owner's standards, including ADNOC specifications, Saudi Aramco SAES and SAMSS documents such as the SAES-J instrumentation and SAES-Z process automation series, QatarEnergy standards and PDO specifications in Oman.
We build customs clearance, site access, visas and in-country value requirements such as ADNOC ICV and Saudi Aramco IKTVA into the schedule, so equipment and people arrive when the programme needs them.
Turnkey delivery draws on every part of our control systems work. These pages go deeper on individual stages.
For the software and integration stage, see our PLC, DCS and SCADA system integration page. For the site phase, read about control system commissioning and our approach to loop checks, SAT and start-up. Power supplies, UPS and plant networks are covered under industrial power distribution and networks. For existing plants, see control system upgrades and OT cyber security.
You can also browse our project experience or contact our engineering team to discuss a turnkey scope.
Short answers to what clients ask us most. For anything specific to your plant, talk to an engineer.
It is a contract where one company takes the automation scope from design to a working, accepted system. That covers engineering, procurement, panel build, factory testing, installation, commissioning, site acceptance testing and handover. The owner deals with one contractor and one schedule instead of many separate packages.
Under EPC the contractor designs, buys and builds the system and carries the cost and schedule risk. Under EPCM the contractor engineers and manages the work for the owner, but the owner holds the supply and construction contracts and their commercial risk. EPC gives more certainty, while EPCM gives the owner more control and visibility.
The factory acceptance test (FAT) checks the hardware, software, I/O and cause and effect logic in the workshop before shipment. The site acceptance test (SAT) proves the installed system works with real field devices and the plant. IEC 62381 describes both, along with integrated FAT and site integration testing.
A typical dossier includes the control philosophy, functional design specification, I/O list, cause and effect charts, loop and wiring drawings, cable schedules and network architecture, all as-built. It also holds ITPs, FAT and SAT reports, loop check and calibration certificates, Ex inspection records, software backups, O&M manuals, spares lists and training records.
It depends on size and long-lead items. A small PLC package can take a few months, while a plant-wide DCS and safety system with several hundred or thousand I/O commonly runs 12 months or more from kick-off to handover. Controller and analyser lead times, client review cycles and site readiness usually set the pace.
Yes. We engineer to the owner's specifications as well as international standards, including ADNOC specifications, Saudi Aramco SAES and SAMSS documents, QatarEnergy standards and PDO specifications in Oman. The applicable documents are listed in the project specification register at kick-off.
We are platform-neutral. We work with Siemens PCS 7, S7-400H, ET 200SP HA and SCALANCE equipment, and across Rockwell, Schneider, ABB, Emerson, Honeywell and Yokogawa systems. The choice follows your site standard and the project specification.
The defects liability period usually runs 12 to 24 months from handover, depending on the contract. During it we correct defects in our scope and support the operations team remotely and on site. Longer support and maintenance contracts are available after warranty.
Send us what you have, even if the scope is still at concept or FEED stage. Our engineers will review it, confirm the contracting model that fits, and return a priced proposal with a schedule, scope split and list of assumptions. Call +971 54 774 6012 or message us on WhatsApp at +44 7746 964222.
