Owners are keen to select a contractor who has capabilities to deliver the project according to its established drawings, specifications, and contract requirements. In this regard, owners have been instituting qualifying systems to aid them in selecting the most responsible contractors who are willing to engage through contracts for the construction duration. A contractor qualification system for private owners in Saudi Arabia was investigated through interviewing private organizations in Saudi Arabia to reveal those decision criteria, which influence the process of contractor selection. Private owners, like government owners in Saudi Arabia, the State of Bahrain, and the USA pre-qualify a contractor on the basis of a set of criteria including experience, quality performance and quality control programs, past performance, etc.