Resource for main contractors & consultants

AVL Road Marking List Qatar — Approved Vendors, Materials and Submittals

What the Ashghal approved vendor and material lists mean for road marking, which approvals apply to thermoplastic and cold plastic materials in Qatar, what documents to request from a road marking subcontractor, and how UniGulf Traffic supports AVL-compliant submittals.

Why this page exists

Why main contractors ask for AVL-listed road marking subcontractors

On any Ashghal road, infrastructure or public realm project in Qatar, the consultant will not approve a road marking submittal unless the materials and, on many contracts, the vendor can be shown to meet the approved lists and the Qatar Construction Specifications. Main contractors therefore ask two questions of every road marking subcontractor before award: are your materials approved, and can you produce the documents to prove it?

This page answers both in plain terms. It is written for QS teams, procurement engineers and consultants who need to get a road marking submittal through review without a second round of comments. It is a resource page, not a sales page — where we describe what UniGulf Traffic does, it is to show how we support the process.

What the Ashghal approved vendor and material lists are

Ashghal, the Public Works Authority, maintains lists of vendors, manufacturers, materials and products that have been reviewed and accepted for use on its projects. Listing is the outcome of a review process in which a manufacturer or supplier submits company information, product specifications, test results against the referenced standards and, often, samples. Consultants and Ashghal engineers refer to the lists when reviewing material submittals: a listed product moves through review quickly, while an unlisted one must be justified with full test evidence or replaced.

For road marking, the relevant items are the marking materials — hot-applied thermoplastic, cold-applied paint and MMA cold plastic — the glass beads that provide retro-reflectivity, primers where used, road studs and, for signage, the retro-reflective sheeting. Each is assessed against the standard named in QCS for that product type.

Material approvals for thermoplastic and cold plastic marking in Qatar

QCS sets out the requirements for road marking materials, application and glass beads, and references international standards for each product type. In practice a submittal for hot-applied thermoplastic will include the product data sheet, the manufacturer’s compliance statement to the referenced standard (BS 3262 or AASHTO M249 type specifications are commonly cited), test reports for properties such as softening point, luminance and bead content, and the glass bead certificate to the referenced bead standard (BS 6088 or AASHTO M247 type grades). Cold-applied paints and MMA cold plastics are submitted with their data sheets, drying or cure data and test evidence to the paint or cold plastic standard cited in the specification, plus the bead certificate.

Approval also covers how the material is applied. The consultant will expect a method statement that states the application thickness, the application temperature for thermoplastic, the bead application rate, surface preparation and traffic management, and an inspection and test plan with hold points for set-out, thickness and retro-reflectivity. Application records completed during the work close the loop at handover.

Private developments — compounds, malls, warehouses — are governed by the consultant’s specification rather than by Ashghal’s lists, but consultants routinely reference QCS and request the same documents. Preparing them the same way keeps review time short on every type of project.

Submittal checklist — what to request from any road marking subcontractor

Commercial registration, trade licence and insurance certificates
Health, safety and environment policy and site-specific risk assessment
Product data sheet for the marking material (thermoplastic, cold plastic or paint) with the referenced standard
Test certificates or third-party reports for the material and for the glass beads
Primer data sheet where concrete or aged surfaces are involved
Method statement covering surface preparation, application, bead application, thickness control and traffic management
Inspection and test plan (ITP) with hold points for set-out, thickness and reflectivity
Equipment list — pre-heaters, applicators, bead dispensers, removal plant
Crew experience, training records and supervisor CVs
Sample panel or trial length where the consultant requires one
Application record template — location, material batch, temperature, thickness, beads, date
Warranty statement and maintenance guidance

Ask for these before award, not after mobilisation — a subcontractor that cannot produce them will delay the submittal.

How UniGulf supports AVL-compliant submittals

We work to Ashghal and QCS specifications and supply the material approval documentation main contractors need for submittal: product data sheets and certificates for the marking material and glass beads, method statements, ITPs, equipment lists, crew records and application records. We compile the package in your consultant’s format and answer technical queries during review.

The review, step by step

How a road marking submittal gets approved

The sequence is the same on most Qatar projects. The subcontractor issues a material submittal with data sheets, certificates and samples. The consultant reviews it against the specification and the approved lists and either approves, approves with comments or rejects. A method statement and ITP follow, then a trial length or sample panel where the consultant wants to see the application before the main works. During the works, hold points on the ITP are inspected — set-out, thickness, bead application, reflectivity — and application records are signed. At handover the records, certificates and as-built markings are compiled for the project file.

Where a subcontractor is disorganised, the delay is almost always at the first step: a data sheet without the referenced standard, a bead certificate missing, a method statement copied from another project. Our packages are built for the reviewer, which is why they go through.

1. Material submittal

Data sheets, compliance statements, test reports and bead certificates for each material.

2. Method statement & ITP

Thickness, temperature, bead rate, surface preparation and hold points agreed with the consultant.

3. Trial & inspection

Sample panel or trial length; set-out, thickness and reflectivity inspected at hold points.

4. Records & handover

Application records, certificates and as-built information compiled for the project file.

Thermoplastic road marking

Hot-applied material, thickness and bead requirements for highways and main roads.

MMA cold plastic marking

Two-component cold plastic for junctions, coloured lanes and anti-skid surfacing.

Traffic signage boards

Sheeting grades, sizes and mounting to Qatar sign standards.

All road marking services

The full list of eleven services with materials and specifications.

Further reading: what main contractors need from a road marking subcontractor and thermoplastic vs cold paint in Qatar. Questions about a specific project? Contact the operations team.

FAQ

AVL and approvals — FAQ

Answers for procurement, QS and consultant teams. For a specific project, call +974 5556 3941.

What is the Ashghal AVL?

The Approved Vendor List (and the related approved materials lists) maintained by Ashghal, the Public Works Authority, records vendors, materials and products that have been reviewed and approved for use on Ashghal projects. Main contractors and consultants use it to check that a proposed material or supplier is acceptable before a submittal is approved.

Is UniGulf Traffic on the Ashghal approved vendor list?

We work to Ashghal and QCS specifications and supply the material approval documentation main contractors need for submittal. For the current status of any vendor or material listing, check with Ashghal directly or ask us for the specific documents relevant to your project.

Which road marking materials need approval on a public road project?

Typically the thermoplastic or cold plastic material itself, the glass beads, any primer and, for signage, the retro-reflective sheeting. Each needs a product data sheet, a test certificate to the referenced standard and, on many projects, a sample for approval.

What should a main contractor request from a road marking subcontractor?

Company documents (registration, insurance, HSE policy), product data sheets and test certificates for the marking material and beads, a method statement and risk assessment, an inspection and test plan, equipment list, crew CVs or training records and a proposed application record format. Our checklist below lists all of them.

Does a car park or private compound need Ashghal approval?

Usually not — private sites are governed by the consultant’s specification, often referencing QCS. The same documents still make submittal review faster and are good practice for any professional contractor.

Can UniGulf prepare the submittal package?

Yes. We compile the material submittal — data sheets, certificates, method statement, ITP and samples — in the format your consultant requires, and we answer technical queries during the review.

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Need road marking in Qatar? Talk to an engineer today.

Send the site location, approximate area or number of bays and any drawings. We survey, confirm the specification and send an itemised quotation — usually the same working day.

+974 5556 3941

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