Oct. 2008

$3,015,341

Completed

Paktiya

RC-East

Project Description

Paved (Secondary) Road From Ahmad Abad (42S WC 29516 24845) to Gardez (42S WC 22116 21123) 12.5 Km.

Project Goals

Desired Project Effects: Sustain and improve relations with the local community and government. Increase security in the district. The responce time for emergencies will be reduced.

Measurable Effects: Increase traffic in the district. Increased wealth and commerce. Increased standard of living for local Afghans. Increased security. This road will serve the Gardez and Ahmad Abad Districts. The total amount of people this road will serve is approximately 170,000.

Results

Road is completed. Numerous complaints have been raised by GIRoA in letters, emails and meetings regarding the project. The issues raised were addressed at numerous Tech Advisory Board meetings as potentially being out of scope for the project and clarification on the complaints was requested (more details such as photos, coordinates, etc rather than a vague complaint). 

All is well. PRT worked out a solution and project is transsferred.

Updates

Jul 6 2008 - Contract signed 26 Aug 08

Payment History:

26 Aug 08: 10% initial payment - $301,534.14

22 Nov 08: 25% completion payment - $452,301.21

26 Sep 09: 75% completion payment - $1,507,670.40

Jul 31 2009 - 2009-10 Team Assessment

The Ahmad Abad Secondary Road is a paved road from Gardez City by the airfield to just south of the Ahmad Abad District Center.

The first issue with this project is that it was designed and contracted to end basically in the middle of nowhere. The road needs an additional 2.5 kilometers extension to meet up with the Gardez to Alamgay Road south of the bridge to Sayed Karam. The sub governor and the DPW are pushing to get this done and will sometimes say that the contractor isn't working on the whole road, but he is doing everything required by contract. The additional road has been nominated, but I've seen no movement for or against it since we arrived on post.

This road progressed slowly, but has seen fewer problems than other projects that were started at the same time and done with questionable quality. The road should have been finished this construction season and the contractor was making good progress toward the end. He just didn't quite finish before it got too cold.

As with all roads, this has had security issues, although relatively few compared to those in more remote areas. The main harassment comes from the provincial government. Contractors have been arrested on the site for extortion. The governor is getting approximately 30% of the contract in bribes and uses the ANP to make sure he gets his cut.

Generally, roads are an issue for the PRT to inspect. We don't have the equipment or the expertise. An active presence can make a difference though. This road has been one of our very visible successes in the area.

Inspection Updates:

Jan 5 2009 - QA visit. Construction halted due to winter season. Some road width a bit narrow, culverts were good

Jul 25 2009 - For the northern stretch of this road there was no workers. We stopped at one site where the contractors had apparently left in the middle of a job leaving trowels with concrete still on it. Closer to Gardez, we did find a couple active construction sites. It was difficult to judge the quality of the work but it seemed middling. A security guard for the road company mentioned that 20 insurgents had tried to attack their security point the night before.

 Aug 31 2009 (24 Aug 2009) - I did not dismount the vehicle, because the only worker on the project when we visited was one guy in a roller. This project was awarded 1 October 2008 and was supposed to be completed in 400 days. The work on this road has been consistently slow compared to other similar projects. It is my intent to call in the contractor to discuss his plan on completing the road in a timely manner.

Sep 30 2009 - Road work continued. Nothing significant to report.

Oct 31 2009 (15 Oct 2009) - Much of this road is now paved and there are several work crews finishing the job. This project appears to be on track.

Nov 30 2009 (14 Nov 2009) - The subgovernor and DPW then escorted the PRT along the Ahmad Abad Secondary Road (Bedrock) to point out issues they had with construction. The first issue was with the end of the road which currently ends short of the district center and town. There is a project nominated to extend the road currently on the books. We told the government that the current project would end where it is contracted to end. The second issue was a culvert that the DPW thought was too small. It is difficult to say at this point in construction as there is still work going on in the area and the culvert is blocked by dirt from the construction. Proper drainage is a responsibility of the contractor and will be fixed if there are any deficiencies. The third issue was at a bend in the road. The DPW did not like the road alignment and wanted to knock down additional qalats to make the road straighter. The original design was approved by the DPW at the time. I told him the road would remain in its current path, but they could request a change if they wanted. I instructed the contractor and DPW not to make any changes until approved by the PRT and that the PRT would not pay for any unapproved redesigns. The fourth issue was a retaining wall that the DPW wanted moved, the contractor agreed to move it free of charge before the PRT had dismounted.

Dec 31 2009 - Road work has stopped for winter.

Apr 5 2010 - This project has been taken over by a new PRT. No visible progress has been made on this project this construction season. DPW has submitted complaints to the PRT regarding the condition of culverts constructed last season. This PRT has not been able to complete a thorough QA/QC.

May 3 2010 - PRT CE (Lt Knick and Mr. Stanislaus) proceeded to the Sayed Karam District Center where the Director of the Department of Public Works, Eng. Abdullah Durrani, was integrated into the convoy. PRT CE and DPW carried out a cooperative inspection of the Gardez to Ahmad Abad Secondary Road. The inspection included a stop at a heavily damaged section of asphalt and a dismounted patrol down a stretch of road requiring numerous patches and culvert repairs. It appeared that the culverts had been constructed to acceptable quality standards but the backfills on the culverts were not properly compacted; the sections of road on either side of the culverts settled causing the asphalt to crack and deteriorate. The road issues also include sections of road where the sub-grade had not been properly compacted causing the asphalt to become rutted and cracked. Approximately 85% of the road route has been paved but only about 75-80% has been deemed acceptable. The cooperative inspection with DPW was highly successful; it offered the opportunity to exchange information on projects and contractors, it made the QAQC significantly more time efficient with Eng. Durrani's familiarity with the project and promoted a positive constructive relationship between the DPW and PRT. The PRT Engineers will continue to try to include the DPW in project inspections on a regular basis.

May 19 2010 - The contractor has made some repairs. There was very little work being done during the inspection. The 560m strip of road at the Gardezi Kalat remains an issue. DPW has requested support from the Governor to secure the area so the contractor can finish his work.

Jun 19 2010 - The route remains in black status and has been uninspectable for approximately 3 to 4 weeks. DPW is assisting the PRT in setting up a meeting between village elders and the contractor so a compromise can be reached that will allow the completion of this road project.

Aug 31 2010 - The Ahmad Abad Secondary Road project hast minor necessary repairs remaining. The contract has yet to rebuild the shoulder that collapsed and excessive erosion around a waterway from the recent flood waters. The IED repair is complete. The contractor claimed that the earthwork was complete which does not appear to be true, but the excess of soil remaining on the side of the road may be the result of an ongoing private project adjacent to the road. 

Sep 16 2010 (8 Sep 10) - The Ahmad Abad Secondary Road has not made any progress in the repairs of erosion resulting from the recent flooding. A very detailed report of erosion damage is going to be submitted to the contractor with a new deadline for completion. If the contractor fails to complete the mandated repair work in a timely manner, the contract will be considered for termination with the estimated cost of damages subtracted from the final disbursal. 

Oct 23 2010 - PRT CE (Capt Hinson, Lt Knick) met with President Eng. Fayaz and Vice President Eng. Mohammadullah of Emar-E-Saray Engineering Services to discuss the Ahmad Abad Secondary Road. The primary purpose of the meeting was to discuss the shoulder in Peroz Khel village that was damaged in a flood late in the summer. The contractor did not argue that the shoulder required repair and requested any site pictures that the PRT had available. The contractor stated that the repairs that the road has needed have not been made because he has been attempting to coordinate a combined inspection with the Ahmad Abad Shura, Gardez Shura, Department of Public Works and Director of Sector to create a consolidated punch list but the provincial government continues to postpone the cooperative inspection; DPW has been out of the country for approximately 1 to 2 months. The contractor stated that he is planning to meet with the DPW, Ahmad Abad SG, local elder of Gardez and Director of Sector Sunday 24 October to acquire a final punch list. He stated that all repairs will be completed before the end of the construction season; the contractor was informed that he will be terminated otherwise. The PRT Engineers will follow up with a meeting with Eng. Durrani of the DPW Sunday 24 October.

Nov 17 2010 - Contractor states he is in possession of a punchlist from the DPW. PRT has requested a copy from either the contractor or DPW for verification. Upon receipt of a letter of acceptance from the DPW, the final payment will be issued and the project will be closed.

Dec 19 2010 - The PRT received by email a letter from the contractor which he states is an acceptance letter from the Technical Advisory Board. The PRT had the letter translated and will confirm the letters authenticity with the Director of Sector. If authentic, the PRT will issue final payment and being project closeout.

Jan 13 2011 - Engineer Abdulla Durrani emailed the PRT today with a signed inspection letter for the project stating all the punchlist items were corrected and it was ready for acceptance. Translation shows that the DPW signed and the Dir of Sector. The PRT is still awaiting the formal acceptance letter.

Jan 17 2011 - Capt Hinson and Mr. Mihalyfy met with Engineer Abdulla Durrani, the Paktya Director of Public Works to discuss the recently completed Ahmad Abad Secondary Road. Engr Durrani began by stating he was appreciate of the PRTs efforts on the road, but the people living along the road were unhappy with the final product because it was not constructed to the standard. The PRT asked how the people knew the standards the contract required and if they were upset with the road because the numerous IED craters on the road were not repaired by the contractor. Engr Durrani answered that the contractor promised the people a very smooth road and items outside the contract. Due to that, he had on numerous occasions met with the people during construction to address their unrealistic expectations. The PRT raised the importance of having meetings with the people in the project area and the government before the start of construction to manage the expectations. Engr Duranni agreed that this was needed and that it would help prevent many of the issues that have plagued past projects such as locals demanding special side projects to benefit themselves or money from the contractor for working in the area.

Jan 22 2011 - The PRT has not received a formal acceptance letter from GIRoA but cannot continue to hold the contractor's final payment hostage. Suspect Director of Sector or other GIRoA officials are witholding acceptance pending a bribe. The PRT signed the final payment today to enable the contractor to be finished and to allow the PRT to close the project. Project will be closed once there is confirmation of payment, but will not officially be transferred to GIRoA in CIDNE.

Jan 23 2011 - During a Technical Advisory Board meeting, the Director of Sector stated the locals were not happy with the quality of the road and requested the contractor correct all deficiencies before the final payment was issued. Capt Hinson addressed this by stating the payment was being processed at Finance and all deficiencies would have to be corrected through the project warranty. The technical board was not pleased the payment was being processed but agreed to pursue corrective work through the warranty process. The Director of Sector then stated the project was not supposed to have been accepted by Engineer Durrani (Director of Public Works) and all acceptance letters have to be approved by the Director of Sector (Himself). Capt Hinson countered by questioning the Director of Sector as to why USAID and NGO's get letters of acceptance from the Director of Economy for all projects done in the province. The Director of Sector never gave a solid answer to the question, but instead danced around the issue for several exchanges and eventually ended the discussion by stating, "A meeting will be held with the other line directors to sort this issue out."

Jan 23 2011 - After the Tech Advisory Board meeting, Engr Durrani emailed the PRT asking us to disregard the letter he had sent on 13 Jan 11 due to many issues that have to be resolved.

Feb 4 2011 - Received a letter from Engineer Daud Jalalie, Dept of Econ identifying issues with the road. The PRT replied with a request for more specifics than "there are problems" and asked for photos, coordinates and detailed descriptions of the problems. Letter no longer on record after GIRoA asked for it back.

Mar 1 2011 Project is closed out but not transferred to GIRoA due to the lack of acceptance documents.

Numerous complaints have been raised by GIRoA in letters, emails and meetings regarding the project. The issues raised were addressed at numerous Tech Advisory Board meetings as potentially being out of scope for the project and clarification on the complaints was requested (more details such as photos, coordinates, etc rather than a vague complaint). An inspection mission is planned to survey GIRoA complaints to determine if they are legitimate or not. Initial thoughts is that most are out of scope, complaints about personal preferences and it's suspected partly due to corruption issues (ESCC refusing to make "payments" to GIRoA in exchange for acceptance.

PRT Paktya (XXXX) 03/08/2011 05:54 

Comments: Project closure, cleaning up of file and upload of missing documents from file. Additional updates may be done to reflect warranty work requests and execution.

 

 

26 Mar 2011, Closure Packet

Great job on reporting updates and media files TP 

16 May 2011: Uploaded letter of acceptance; project transferred and closed. After settign up a meeting with the contractor, Deputy DPW, Director of Economy, and Economy Engineer a way forward was identified (contractor to execute minimal warranty work and GIRoA to provide LoA). Within 1 week the uploaded LoA was provided by the contractor and the PRT verified it is in fact a LoA with DPW.