BIWEEKLY SUMMARY REPORT January 29, 2021 – February 11, 2021

The projects aim to expand and upgrade school infrastructure to improve educational facilities and services. The construction management task order (CMTO) team is responsible for overseeing the projects' progress, ensuring compliance with contractual requirements, and addressing any challenges that arise. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the projects, with construction work continuing despite health and safety measures being implemented on-site. The CMTO team has been working closely with stakeholders, including the Ministry of Public Works and Housing (MPWH) and the contractors, to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on project timelines. Face-to-face meetings have resumed, but some virtual meetings are still being held due to technical challenges. JSEP Phase V Package 1 and 2 are behind schedule, with construction still lagging. The Supervisory Engineer has reviewed and approved the revised schedules for Package 2, but Package 1 approval is pending. All JSEP Phase IV schools have been substantially completed, with most having completed handing-over inspections. However, close-out work is not yet completed due to punch list review and approval issues. SKEP Phase II, Package 2, is also experiencing delays, with the contractor's work being far behind the contract end date. The percentage completion at the three sites ranges from 81% to 95%. The CMTO staff believes that the satisfactory completion of this work is still under threat. The expected completion dates for the three schools are March 2021, April 2021, and May 2021, respectively. The CMTO team continues to track all correspondence between stakeholders, filter documents, and assign personnel to follow up on important communications. There has been a noticeable increase in the number of letters, with 425 items recorded during this reporting period. The team is updating the Priority USAID & MPWH Correspondence and Follow-Up Tracking Log. Delays have been reported in the electrification and wet utilities connection for JSEP Phase II, III, IV, and SKEP Phase II. The CMTO staff has contacted the contractor and MPWH to address the issue, and the contractor has been instructed to start the connection works. The CMTO staff will focus on the remaining utilities in the next two weeks to try to decrease the balance. The biweekly meeting with MPWH will restart in mid-February. Mobilization works for SKEP Phase III-Medanat SE have been completed, and the approval of Dijlah submittal items has been discussed. The Supervisory Engineer has been directed not to approve non-compliant materials and equipment. Construction works have started in all packages for JSEP Phase V, and mobilization works are still in progress.