France – Archaeological services – Prestations archéologiques relatives à des opérations de fouille, dans le cadre de la fouille du site de Dadan (région d’al-Ula, Arabie saoudite) pour le compte de l’unité mixte de recherche CNRS, UMR 8167 Orient et Méditerrané.

Under an agreement with the French Agency for the Development of Alula (AFALULA), the UMR 8167 of the CNRS (Orient & Méditerranée) has been entrusted with the excavation of the site of Dadan, in the oasis of al-Ula (project DADAN). This site is the main city of the Iron Age (1200-300 BC) in the northwest of the Peninsula, and was a major stop on the commercial route linking South Arabia to the Mediterranean world ("incense route"). It also includes a fortress and an Islamic-era hamlet. In addition to its scientific objective, the project involves the training of archaeology students from King Saud University in Riyadh (KSU) and raising public awareness of local history and heritage. Two excavation campaigns are planned, from autumn 2026 to spring 2027, followed by a study campaign in autumn 2027. In order to carry out this program, UMR 8167 wishes to entrust one or more archaeological service providers with the management of certain excavation, recording and documentation tasks during the final phase of the DADAN project (2026-2028). The present contract concerns archaeological services relating to excavation operations as part of the excavation of the site of Dadan (al-Ula region, Saudi Arabia) on behalf of the CNRS mixed research unit, UMR 8167 Orient et Méditerranée. The contract is divided into three lots in accordance with Article R2113-10 of the Public Procurement Code. Lot n°1: Services of a sector archaeo-anthropologist, Lot n°2: Services of a deputy sector archaeologist, Lot n°3: Services of two excavation technicians. Each lot constitutes a contract. An economic operator may be designated as the successful tenderer for one, two or all of the lots. Fieldwork activities context: The field campaigns of the DADAN project will take place in the autumn (between early October and mid-December) and in the spring (between early March and mid-May), over a period of 7 to 10 weeks which will be defined at the latest two months before the start of each campaign. The first campaign is scheduled between 5 October and 13 December 2026 (indicative dates, to be confirmed early September). During the excavation, the weekly working hours for field archaeologists will be 48 hours, spread over 5.5 days, as follows: 6h30 of fieldwork and 2h30 of recording work from Sunday to Thursday and 3h of recording work on Saturday afternoon. The weekly rest days are Friday and Saturday morning. Post-excavation work will be carried out in France or on site as needed. During the post-excavation phase, the weekly working hours will be 35h, spread over 5 days. The project's working language is English. Service framework: The service requested concerns the provision of archaeologists and specialists during the field campaign and for a variable period of post-excavation work, from two to eight weeks, at the end of which a report presenting the results of the fieldwork will be submitted. Accommodation and meals for staff will be the responsibility of the CNRS. Excavation equipment will be provided by the CNRS. The contractor will be responsible for: travel of its employees to the site, visas for its employees (it being his responsibility to check that they meet the conditions required to obtain a Saudi visa, particularly in terms of nationality) and the computer equipment and software necessary for the performance of the tasks requested, as described in Article 5 of the special clauses. The contract holder will ensure compliance with the Labour Code, particularly in terms of fair remuneration for time worked and provision of personal protective equipment (PPE). It will also provide health-repatriation insurance for employees made available to the project.