NGO JOBS

Organization: Trócaire
Country: Kenya
Closing date: 06 Sep 2013

Terms of Reference

CONTRACT TITLE: INDEPENDENT TECHNICAL INSPECTION AND QUALITY ASSURANCE OF WATER (DOMESTIC SUPPLY AND IRRIGATION) WORKS IN TURKANA, THARAKA NITHI, KITUI AND ISHIARA
NATURE OF THE CONTRACT: CONSULTANCY SERVICE
Duration: 20 days (9th September to 4th October 2013)
Location: Kitui County, Tharaka Nithi county, Turkana County and Mbeere district (Embu County)

1. Organizational

Profile Trócaire envisages a just world where people’s dignity is ensured, where rights are respected and basic needs are met, where there is equity in the sharing of resources and where people are free to be the authors of their own development.
Trócaire first started working in Kenya through supporting partners from Ireland in the mid ‘70s and an office was subsequently established in Nairobi in 1994. In Kenya Trócaire has supported a wide range of partners implementing programmes in livelihood security, disaster risk reduction, humanitarian response, human rights, policy research and advocacy, gender equality and HIV and AIDS. Work has focused on different levels from grassroots service delivery to policy engagement and reform. It is the work of these partners that is the subject of this consultancy.

1. Introduction to the assignment Trócaire’s ASALs resilience programme (ARP) which is an integrated livelihoods and humanitarian programme focuses on the Arid and Semi Arid Lands (ASALs) of Kenya which cover 80% of the country and experience low, infrequent and unreliable rainfall, thus recurrent droughts. This assignment builds on the 2010 – 2011 drought response and early recovery interventions which supported 120,225 men, women and children recovering from the impact of drought in Ishiara, Meru South, Tharaka, Igembe North, Mara, East Pokot, Turkana central, Loima, Mwingi and Kitui Districts.

   The water projects aim to improve the socio-economic development of rural communities through establishing new domestic water lines and extending existing irrigation infrastructure. It is intended that this will allow communities to improve their agricultural production as well as promoting the sustainable use of natural resources and increasing communities’ resilience to drought in the targeted areas. The project made significant investments in improving the water supply for domestic consumption and irrigation in the areas mentioned. However due to limitations in technical capacity in water works and related areas we now wish to review this body of work and establish lessons for its future direction and development Of our water interventions.

2. Purpose of the consultancy assignment The overall objective of this assignment is to obtain an independent assessment of the technical quality of all water works completed by partners and to assure that the works meet required standards and good practices as described in the various Project and Contract Documents under the ARP partner projects in Turkana, Tharaka Nithi, Ishiara and Kitui.

The specific purpose includes:

1. To offer independent (3rd party) technical inspection and assessment on the technical quality of all the water works executed by the four partners under the ARP programme. The consultant employed shall be responsible for quality assurance of materials, workmanship and documentation;
2. To determine the current performance, level of optimization, functionality, capacity, efficiency and sustainability of the water works;
3. To highlight problem areas, if any, and identify opportunities to reduce costs and risks and to recommend strategies for increasing efficiency; and
4. To assess adherence to government and international standards:

5. Based on the findings, share common guidelines for carrying out further work in this area in the future, including the expansion of the irrigation infrastructure and the future management of water facilities.

6. Deliverables:

Inspection and quality assurance report for each of the water systems supported by Trócaire ARP programme.

• Summary of government certification report for all the water resources.
• Water facility development and management guidelines for current and future water works, for use by partners as well as Trócaire.
• Summary report highlighting overall value for money, cost-effectiveness, areas of concern, key lessons learned for Trócaire.

1. Requirements: Essential criteria for the selection of the consultant include::

• The consultancy firm should be registered, managed by a group of experienced Engineers and should have the necessary government certification in the category/ class of works identified;
• The lead consultant shall be a degree holder in the relevant Engineering field and with experience of more than 5 years;
• The consultancy firm should have field experience in the execution of civil works under private and government establishment, and if possible, have a testing facility for construction materials.

Scope of work
Consultant:

• The consultant shall appraise and review all available documentation (including and not limited to drawings and progress reports) for the water facilities held by the partners to ensure they conform to stipulated standards of quality. If there is any, the consultant shall point out any discrepancies/errors/omissions and suggest any immediate and longer term remedial measures that need to be taken. This exercise will include an analysis and review of the degree of quality controls exercised during the process and the quality of the final product (water facility).
• The consultant shall inspect facilities in reference to documentation provided and current government standards for quality assurance purposes. This will involve field visits to the sites and meeting the beneficiary communities.
• The consultant shall carryout independent testing of materials, if necessary, and shall propose remedial measures, if any.
• On completion of the assignment, the consultant shall issue certification of works with a checklist in a simplified format as a guide for supervision and monitoring of future projects.

Trócaire and Partners:

• Provide and ensure access to all required documentation for their respective projects. This includes list of sites, reports by consultant/ contractor, government certifications, approved drawings and detailed estimates with specification and all other relevant data;
• Shall ensure safety and other logistical requirements are provided for the consultancy team.

1. Timeline

• Time for consultancy shall be 20 days from the date of issue of acceptance. This includes transport and report writing.
• The consultant shall pay the taxes, levies and other impositions levied under the applicable law and Trócaire will deduct such taxes as may be lawfully required.
• The proposal shall include an income tax clearance certificate of current validity from the appropriate authority in original form and the ‘’Schedule of Price Bid’’.
• Trócaire contract procedures and standards shall apply before, during and after the completion of the assignment.

Contract Management

Francis Emoru (Senior PO), James Waliaula (Procurement Specialist) and Mercy Mbatia (PA) will manage the contract. The deadline for application is CoB on 6th September 2013.

How to apply:

Kindly send your expression of interest, organization profile and registration documents, CV and proposal to the following contacts femoru@trocaire.or.ke / jwaliaula@trocaire.or.ke / mmbatia@trocaire.or.ke T: +254 (0)722 220 086

Organization: GRM International
Country: United Arab Emirates
Closing date: 11 Aug 2013

• Tax free environment
• Multi-cultural work experience

About the role

The Irrigation Specialist/Manager is based in the Abu Dhabi Farmers’ Services Centre (FSC) and is tasked with oversight of irrigation activities, including distribution of irrigation materials, assisting in the adoption of better on-farm irrigation practices among local farmers, and identifying and promoting alternate irrigation methods that make efficient use of available water in crop production.

Key responsibilities include

• Evaluate and manage existing practices in irrigation in the UAE, for both outdoor and protected crops;
• Identify and implement improvedirrigation practices and recommend new and alternate techniques and methods  that could be introduced locally for use by the small farmer clients of FSC;
• Liaise with different FSC departments to ensure large-scale procurement, distribution and use of irrigation material is efficiently and effectively managed;
• Manage technical team to ensure efficient distribution of materials and quality communication with farmers and farm labourers;
• Provide direction for the FSC technical team in best options for achieving the 40% reduction in water usage target;
• Identify manageable technical packages of modern irrigation and control equipment for improved on-farm water usage and irrigation;

Click here to view the full terms of reference.

About You

Selection criteria

• University degree in Agriculture / Irrigation (or related science), preferably with post graduate skills or qualifications in an appropriate area (water resource management, irrigation system design, etc,.) would be a distinct advantage;
• Previous experience with agricultural extension, procurement of irrigation materials and personnel management
• The candidate will possess over 7 years of experience in similar climatic zones
• Work in rurally-based commercially operated agri-business
• Experience in working within a multi-layered organizational structure with an international staffing profile and operating out of several dispersed offices;
• Experience in date palms in arid areas of The Middle East – UAE;
• Experience in coaching and motivating staff in a previous leadership position necessary;
• The candidate must be conversant with health and safety legislation, and more importantly to have the dedication to enforce industry standards at all times;
• Ability to work in remote areas under difficult conditions;
• Ability to work and make decisions under field conditions remote from management;
• Ability to work in Arabic (preferred) and English language (mandatory).

About Us

The Farmers’ Service Centre (FSC) is an Abu Dhabi government initiative implemented to facilitate a change in the manner in which agriculture and agribusiness are conducted in the Abu Dhabi Emirate. This encompasses the entire spectrum from on-farm production to retail sales.

The broader objective encompasses a progression from a government-supported agriculture sector to a more market based sector. To this end, the Abu Dhabi Government has contracted GRM International Pty Ltd to facilitate the formation of the Abu Dhabi Farmers’ Service Centre to a fully functioning, locally managed organisation.

How to apply:

Interested?

To apply please email your covering letter addressing the selection criteria and resume to Kristine.deleon@grminternational.com with the subject: Irrigation Specialist/Manager – FSC. Without a cover letter, your application will not be considered.

Applications close on 11th of August 2013