South Sudan Feeder and Trunk Roads Program Progress Report – January 2015

The program's objectives include working with staff of beneficiary institutions to build technical and managerial capacities in design, tendering, construction supervision, and maintenance of roads. The program's target institutions include the Ministry of Transport, Roads and Bridges (MTRB), State Ministries of Physical Infrastructure (SMPIs) in the Equatoria States, local communities, and the South Sudan Roads Authority (SSRA). The approved FY14/15 Work Plan de-emphasizes capacity building at the MTRB, and the Contracting Officer has been notified of this variance from the Contract scope of work. During the reporting period, the program continued its assessment, design, and capacity building work in Western and Central Equatoria States and moved into Eastern Equatoria. Management activities in support of field work included USAID coordination, program transportation, program security, technical staffing, procurement, and an updated budget. The program received two vehicles for extreme-duty field work in January and assigned them to field assessment work. The Tetra Tech Security and Logistics Manager continues to closely monitor security in all program areas. The program also determined that the replacement Road Design Engineer will not be able to satisfy the requirements of his position for personal reasons and will be demobilized and replaced as soon as possible. Procurement of an ATV and a second set of GPS equipment for use by the survey crew has been a high priority for the program. The GPS survey equipment was delivered by the end of January, and the ATV remains in transit with delivery expected in early February. Tetra Tech has submitted a working version of the revised budget to the CO for approval, following a detailed review by the COR in November. The proposed modification will not require Tetra Tech to exceed its budget under the Contract. The program's activities and accomplishments during the reporting period include: * Continued assessment, design, and capacity building work in Western and Central Equatoria States and moved into Eastern Equatoria * Management activities in support of field work, including USAID coordination, program transportation, program security, technical staffing, procurement, and an updated budget * Receipt of two vehicles for extreme-duty field work and assignment to field assessment work * Delivery of GPS survey equipment and expected delivery of an ATV in early February * Submission of a revised budget to the CO for approval The program's indicators, financial status update, and issues requiring the attention of USAID are also discussed in the report. The report concludes with a summary of activities planned for the next reporting period and deliverables.