IKTVA Investment Plan

The IKTVA Investment Plan is the formal five-year roadmap that every supplier subject to Saudi Aramco's In-Kingdom Total Value Add programme must prepare and submit, committing to measurable targets across the four IKTVA dimensions and forming the baseline against which annual scores are assessed.

What is an IKTVA Investment Plan?

Every supplier who bills Aramco above the SAR 375,000 annual threshold must prepare an IKTVA Investment Plan covering a rolling five-year horizon. The plan sets out specific, quantified commitments on local procurement (what percentage of inputs will be sourced from Saudi-registered suppliers), Saudi workforce targets (nationalization percentages by role level), capital investment (facilities, machinery, or infrastructure to be established in Saudi Arabia), and R&D programmes. Aramco's IKTVA team reviews submitted plans, and actual performance against those commitments feeds into the annual iktva-score. The plan is not a one-time document: it is updated annually to reflect actual progress and revised forward commitments.

Foreign companies are required to establish a registered Saudi legal entity -- which requires a misa-license -- before they can meaningfully commit to local workforce and capital investment targets. As of early 2026, Aramco had 350 active IKTVA investments under management across its supplier base.

Why the IKTVA Investment Plan matters for bidders

The Investment Plan forces a supplier to make explicit, accountable commitments before Aramco awards contracts. Suppliers who treat the plan as a compliance form to be minimized tend to lock themselves into low scores that disadvantage them in future sourcing events. The more productive approach is to treat plan preparation as a strategic exercise: model which commitments are feasible given the supplier's capital position, assess the iktva-score impact of different investment choices, and commit to actions that genuinely differentiate the company relative to local and international competitors.

FAQ

Who must submit an IKTVA Investment Plan?

Any supplier with annual billings to Saudi Aramco above SAR 375,000 is subject to IKTVA and must prepare a five-year Investment Plan.

How often is the IKTVA Investment Plan updated?

The plan is reviewed and updated annually, with actual performance measured against prior commitments and new five-year forward commitments set for the upcoming period.

Does a poor IKTVA Investment Plan affect bid outcomes immediately?

IKTVA scores influence vendor selection in sourcing events, so a weak plan that results in a low score affects competitiveness over the following 1-3 years as scores are recalculated annually.