ES3R Quarterly Report – October through December 2015

The project's objectives are aligned with the Feed the Future (FTF) initiative, which aims to address the root causes of global hunger by sustainably increasing agricultural productivity. The ES3R project provides infrastructure investment in the rehabilitation of rural farm-to-market roads to support the FTF program's Food and Enterprise Development (FED) component, as well as capacity development for routine maintenance systems within the Government of Liberia (GOL) and the Ministry of Public Works (MPW). The ES3R project has three main objectives: to provide construction oversight for the rehabilitation of farm-to-market roads, to produce engineering designs and construction documents for the roads, and to train and pre-qualify local architect-engineer firms capable of providing oversight for road rehabilitation activities. The project's scope was amended to include the addition of 75 kilometers of construction oversight and the inclusion of a structural design team for 14 bridges with spans greater than 10 meters. During the first quarter of Year 3, the ES3R team held periodic meetings with the USAID Contracting Officer Representative (COR) at the project office in Monrovia and in the field sites. The team also conducted design reviews, submitted weekly updates, and provided technical support to the MPW and local A&E firms. The ES3R team completed the capacity development component of the project, which included a workshop for the principals of the five pre-qualified firms and on-the-job training for five junior engineers. The ES3R project has made significant progress in the first quarter of Year 3, with the completion of design documents for two road links at Grand Bassa and the submission of 71.9 kilometers of road and bridge design. The project has also submitted annual reports for Year 2 and has received approval for budget realignment to cover CDM activities up to the end of March 2016. The ES3R team continues to monitor the areas bordering with neighboring countries and is working closely with the USAID COR to ensure the successful completion of the project. The ES3R project's progress is summarized in the table below, which details the key events undertaken by the project team during the first quarter of Year 3. | Date | Description | Comment | | --- | --- | --- | | October 5, 12, 19, 26, 2015 | Submittal of weekly updates to USAID Liberia | | | October 6, 2015 | Meeting with MPW Deputy Minister for determination of sharing office operation cost of ES3R in MPW premises | | | October 12, 2015 | Joint design review at Mamba Point Hotel, including USAID Liberia, MPW, and ES3R | | | October 15, 2015 | Submittal of Quarterly Report for Quarter 4, Project Year 2 to USAID COR | | | October 16, 2015 | Meeting with Swedish International Development Agency for coordination of Feeder Road supervision procedures | | | October 16, 2015 | Report for Technical Review Committee at 10% Design Stage | | | October 29, 2015 | Contract Mod 1 - extend services of local Environmental Specialist and Administration Assistant to Five A&E firms | | | November 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, 2015 | Submittal of weekly updates to USAID Liberia | | | November 6, 2015 | Technical Review Committee for 10% stage | | | November 12, 2015 | Design delivery of 41.7km for three road links at Grand Bassa, Lofa, and Nimba Counties to USAID/Liberia | | | November 13, 2015 | Submittal of Monthly Progress Report for the month of October to USAID Liberia | | | November 17, 2015 | Weekly review meeting with USAID COR at MPW premises | | | December 1, 2015 | Submittal of design documents for two road links at Grand Bassa for a total length of 39.3km to USAID Liberia | | | December 4, 2015 | Submittal of budget realignment to complete works by 8 April 2016 to USAID Liberia | | | December 7, 14, 2015 | Submittal of Weekly Project Update to USAID Liberia | | | December 16, 2015 | Submittal of 71.9 km of road and bridge design to USAID Liberia | | | December 16, 2015 | Submittal of Annual report for Year 2 to USAID Liberia | | | December 18, 2015 | Contracting Officer issues