Introduction

Scope stage

Design stage

Organization stage

Data collection stage

Disaggregation stage

Revision stage

Publication stage

Assessment stage

Management stage

For each of its statistical products, the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) embraces a standardized methodology that is suitable for that product. In doing so, the Authority depends on the Manual of Statistical Procedures, which goes in line with the internationally approved procedures. Each of GASTAT’s statistical products goes through eight major stages, in addition to a ninth stage having to do with the comprehensive “management”, as illustrated in the following figure, and the subsequent explanation

The first three stages  (scope, design and organization) are cooperative ones; conducted by GASTAT jointly with the developmental bodies benefiting from its data. Likewise, the fourth stage  (data collection) is a cooperative stage conducted by the Authority jointly with the statistical population  (households and establishments) to obtain the data and information. The following three stages (disaggregation, revision and publication)  are purely statistical ones, undertaken by the Authority. Then, the eighth stage  (assessment) is conducted jointly with beneficiaries. ‘Management’ is an organizational/ managerial stage running throughout all previous stages. Those stages have been applied to merchandise International Trade Statistics as follows:

Deemed to be the kick-off stage for producing (International trade). It is the first participatory stage between GASTAT and its government partners related to commodity International trade. For instance, Ministry of Energy, Saudi Customs as an official source of data, Ministry of Economy and Planning, and Saudi Central Bank as primary users of such statistics.  Department of National Accounts Statistics at GASTAT will benefi from  the results of commodity International trade Statistics as well.  GASTAT has held meetings and workshops with government entities in order to meet their needs as data users as well as to take their observations into account. This would help in achieving the following objectives: 

1. Supporting decision and policy makers, reserachers, and those who are concerned with updated and comprehensive statistics and indicators that are related to Saudi Arabia Commodity Exports and Imports.
2. Following up with the changes in the movement of exports and imports in Saudi Arabia and other great countries within two different periods of time.
3. Identifying the amount of surplus and deficit of the trade balance between Saudi Arabia and the other countries.
4. Identifying key imported and exported commodities from and to each country.
5. Developing important economic indicators for the components of national accounts and payment balance.
6. Contributing in creating a commercial policy to protect and encourage local commodities and industries compared with the competing imported ones.

Moreover, the published statistics would contribute in fulfilling the requirements of Saudi Vision 2030. In addition to  other regional  needs, including GCC Statistical Center as well as Arab League. Regardinginternational level needs, such statistics     will also comply with the requirements of ONU, WTO, FAO, and other organizations concerned with export and import statistics.

During this stage, a complete design for the statistical product in addition to the tools and methods of data collection are set forth. Beneficiaries are engaged in all these processes to take their feedback into account, so that the product would live up to their expectations.

The most important outcomes of this stage are:

1. Sources of Statistics:

The report of "International trade" depends on administrative records of Saudi Arabia's foreign trade in goods, provided to GaStat by concerned governmental entities in order to use them in calculating the foreign trade statistics and indicators and release them in this report. Administrative records mean data and information that are registered and updated by governmental entities concerned with International trade statistics, and result from the operation of official electronic registration and documentation of these entities.

2. Data required from administrative records:

GASTAT completed the most fundamental data relating to the statistics of International trade statistics from government entities, as follows:

• Data collected from the Ministry of Energy, and Mineral Resources: which is a major source of oil exports.
• Data collected from Saudi Customs: which is a major source of non-oil commodity exports and imports.

3. Terminologies and concepts related to Saudi Arabia Commodity Exports and Imports:

1. Commodity imports: Refer to all goods entering the country after passing through the customs procedures to meet its local needs. Valuation is on Cost, Insurance, and Freight (CIF) basis.
2. Non-oil exports: Total exports minus exports of goods classified in Chapter 27 (mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral waxes) of the Harmonized System (HS).
3. Oil exports: Exports of goods classified in Chapter 27 (mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral waxes) of the Harmonized System (HS).
4. Re-exports: Refers to the sale of previously imported goods abroad without any clear modifications on them.
5. National exports: Exports of all goods fully produced or manufactured in the country or undergone some modifications that lead to a change in their shapes and values.
6. Exports (Total): Exports consist of exports of domestic goods (national exports) and exports of foreign goods (reexports). Valuation is on Free-on-Board (FOB) basis.

4. Indicators: ​

5 Used statistical classification:

Saudi Arabia's International trade statistics are classified according to the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding Systems (2017), also known as the Harmonized System (HS), which is maintained by the World Customs Organization (WCO). The HS allows countries to classify traded products in an internationally standardized system of product names and codes.

6 Coverage

Spatial coverage:

The statistics on International trade cover all goods (oil and non-oil exports as well as imports) passing through customs ports in Saudi Arabia.

Temporal coverage:

The data on merchandise International trade are collected from administrative records on a monthly basis according to the Gregorian calendar.

This is the last stage of preparation that precedes the process of visiting the establishment and collecting the data. The procedures for the preparation of the industrial production index have been prepared in this stage and will begin from the next stage "Collection “and ends with the "Assessment stage", as well as the organization and collection of these procedures and determining which is the appropriate sequence to reach a methodology to achieve the index of industrial production. At this stage, the procedures that were carried out in preparation for the previous release of the industrial production index were reviewed in order to develop the work procedures in this release. These procedures were also described and documented to facilitate updates in future cycles.

 The statistical work procedures were tested to ensure that they meet the requirements of preparing the industrial production index in its final form, then they were adopted, and a roadmap for implementation was set.

GASTAT has coordinated with the government entities concerned with commodity International trade to obtain data related to the report of International trade, which includes data of oil exports, non-oil exports and imports based on the administrative records and through the exports and imports of all Saudi Arabia’s customs ports. In addition, data was stored on GASTAT’s database, it was also revised according to the scientific statistical methodology as well as the recognized standards in accordance with the source of the data. 

Raw data of commodity International trade report were disaggregated based on classification and coding inputs that were created while collecting the data, which were classified according to WCO harmonized system of commodity classification (H.S.2017).

Data were presented in suitable tables to facilitate their summarization and results extraction, also to ease the process of their comparison with other data.

Number of steps were made in this stage, most importantly:

First: Data logicality and comprehensiveness :

 To ensure quality and accuracy of  data, , all the data are reviewed and matched to check their correctness and accuracy in a way that fits the nature of such data. .Data of the current survey are matched with the data of the previous survey to  ensure their validity and logicality before processing, extracting, and reviewing the results in the next stages of data disaggregation.

Second: Data Confidentiality:

Data shall be kept confidential at GASTAT and shall be used for statistical purposes only. Collected statistical tables for a number of variables related to Saudi Arabia’s on International trade  are the data to be published. 

First: Data Outputs Validation:

In addition to the revision process applied to the collected data of  this Survey, and data of administrative records  in the fourth stage to check their accuracy, all outputs  were  stored and uploaded to the database after being calculated by GASTAT to be reviewed and processed by specialists in  foreign trade statistics  through modern technologies and software designed for this purpose. 

Second: Dealing with confidential data:

According to the Royal Decree No. 23 dated 07-12-1397, data must always be kept confidential, and must be used by GASTAT only for statistical purposes. Therefore, the data are protected in the data servers of the Authority.

First: Preparation and Process of the Results Designed for Publishing:

During this stage, GASTAT downloaded the data’s results from the database of surveys  of industrial production surveys. Then, publishing tables and charts of data and indicators, metadata, and methodology were all prepared and processed to be published in  both languages English and Arabic.

Second: Preparing Media Kit and Announcing the Date of the Release:

The publication date of the bulletin is already set up by GASTAT on its official website at the beginning of the Calendar Year. During this period, the Authority is preparing the media kits to announce the date of releasing the bulletin through media, in addition to its various platforms in social networking sites. The bulletin will be published firstly on GASTAT’s official website in different formats, such as Excel format to be easily reached for all clients and those who are interested International trade. .It will be uploaded on the website’s statistics library as well

Third: Communicating with the clients and providing the bulletin to them:

GASTAT believed in the importance of communication with the clients, therefore, once the bulletin is released, GASTAT will communicate with the clients and provide them with the bulletin. GASTAT will receive the questions and enquiries about the bulletin and its results through its various channels. Requests and enquiries are received through:

• GASTAT official website www.stats.gov.sa
• GASTAT official e-mail info@stats.gov.sa
• Client support’s email cs@stats.gov.sa
• Visiting GASTAT head office in Riyadh or in one of its branches in Saudi Arabia.
• Official letters
• Statistical phone (920020081)

When the report is released and after it reached all clients, GASTAT will contact with them to assess the whole statistical process to achieve constant improvement in order to obtain high quality data. The improvements may include methodologies, operations, systems, skill of statistical researchers, and statistical work framework; this procedure is made in partnership with data users as well as GASTAT’s clients through a number of steps:

First: Collecting measurable assessment inputs:

The most important comments and notes are collected and documented from their sources in different stages, for example comments and notes given by data collectors and their field supervisors. Also, notes written by specialists responsible for reviewing, auditing, and analyzing data collected from the field team or administrative regions. Finally, comments and notes collected and documented by data users after publishing the Bulletin, or social media comments and clients’ feedback that sent to the Authority through its main channels.

Second: Assessment:

It is done by analyzing the collected assessment inputs, and comparing the results of this analysis with the ones predicted previously. Therefore, a number of possible improvements and solutions are identified and discussed with specialists, experts, and concerned partners. During this step, clients' performances and satisfaction levels of using the results of International trade are measured. Based on that, suggested recommendations to obtain high quality data for future reports will be considered.  

It is a comprehensive stage that is required to carry out each phase of the industrial production survey  production. During this stage, the  plan was set , which includes the feasibility study, risk management, financing methods, in addition to expenditure mechanisms. The plan also covered the  development of performance indicators, quality criteria, and manpower map required for production. Through this plan, the implementation process of the tasks assigned to different departments at each stage will be followed up and reported to ensure that GASTAT meets its clients’ requirements.