A nine-step evaluation framework for selecting a media production company in Riyadh. Each step addresses a specific risk area, and together they replace the two factors most teams rely on by default — the showreel and the quote — both of which carry limited predictive value once the contract is signed.
Step 1: Define the brief before the search
Before initiating partner evaluation, document the four core parameters: (a) the single business decision the production must drive, (b) the format (brand film, event coverage, social vertical, training video), (c) the absolute delivery deadline, and (d) the budget ceiling. Vendors evaluated against an undefined brief produce non-comparable proposals.
Step 2: Confirm regulatory standing
Verify that the production company holds a current GEA (General Entertainment Authority) production licence, valid commercial registration with the Ministry of Commerce, and zakat compliance. Production work without these credentials carries permitting, payment, and liability risk. Request copies of all three documents before issuing a request for proposal.
Step 3: Review work that matches your category
A showreel demonstrates capability in general terms but masks specialisation. Request 3–5 case studies from the same vertical (banking, healthcare, retail, government) and similar production scope. Production teams that have delivered repeatedly within your sector understand the compliance and approval cycles specific to it.
Step 4: Verify the named team
Sales presentations frequently feature director and crew profiles that are not contractually committed to the project. Require written confirmation of the director of photography, lead director, and key heads of department who will be on the project, including their availability for the proposed shoot dates.
Step 5: Request a detailed crew and equipment schedule
Quote documents that aggregate costs under broad headings (for example, "Production: SAR 180,000") cannot be compared meaningfully. Require a line-item breakdown covering: pre-production days, shoot days, crew composition with day rates, equipment lists, post-production hours by department, and any third-party costs (talent, locations, music licensing).
Step 6: Confirm insurance and indemnity
The production company should hold (a) public liability insurance with a cover limit suitable for the project scope, (b) equipment insurance, and (c) where filming involves talent or third-party locations, errors-and-omissions coverage. Request the certificate of insurance with cover dates that include the production period.
Step 7: Establish the revision policy
Edit revisions are the most common source of disputes between brands and production companies. The contract should specify: (a) the number of revision rounds included, (b) the definition of a revision round (consolidated feedback in writing, single delivery), (c) hourly or daily rates for additional rounds, and (d) the scope of changes excluded (re-shoots, scope changes, music re-licensing).
Step 8: Validate references
Request 2–3 client references from projects completed in the past 12 months and call them. Useful questions: (a) Did the final cost match the quote, and if not, why? (b) Was the delivery on time? (c) How were unexpected production issues handled? Reference checks reveal operational behaviour that proposals cannot.
Step 9: Confirm post-production rights and asset delivery
Define and document the asset deliverables at contract signing: master file format and resolution, social-cut versions and lengths, raw footage retention rights, project files (Premiere, DaVinci) ownership, music licensing scope and term, and on-camera talent usage rights and territory. Ambiguity in these areas creates re-use limitations that are expensive to resolve later.
Putting the framework into practice
Run the nine steps in sequence rather than evaluating proposals against them in retrospect. Two qualified providers that score well across all nine criteria will produce comparable proposals; an unqualified provider will typically fail at steps 2, 4, or 6 before pricing comparison becomes relevant.
For an example of how a Riyadh-based production company documents these areas, see Darb's production services overview. Further articles in this series cover briefing the team and reading the quote in detail — both available on the Knowledge Hub.
