Terms of Reference for External Consultant Service provider (Civil site engineer/surveyor) to manage and supervise the construction works planned to take place in Akkar/Tal Maayan

1. Background & Context

With funding from the European Union, the International Labour Organization (ILO) is implementing ENABLE program focusing on providing livelihoods and decent work opportunities to enhance the economic capacity of the most vulnerable and marginalized communities residing in targeted areas. The program will provide integrated employment services and short‐term employment opportunities in infrastructure projects, which will reduce dependency on social assistance for the poor and vulnerable, contributing towards social cohesion. At the centre of the programme is a so-called Local Resource Based Technology (LRBT) approach to infrastructure rehabilitation and improvement. These Terms of Reference (ToR) focus on supervising and managing the site works during the implementation of the infrastructure project in Akkar/Tall Maayan.

2. Assignment Background

ILO is currently implementing an Employment Intensive Infrastructure Project (EIIP) under ENABLE program in Akkar/Tal Maayan for the establishment of agricultural roads*. ILO has previously hired a consultant who did the study, design and tender documents for this specific project. A contractor is currently being hired to implement the works on site. The objective of the service concerned by these Terms of Reference is the mobilization of a service provider (with site civil engineering and/or surveying background) for the supervision and management of the construction project from a technical engineering perspective while ensuring conformity with initial plans and ILO standards. These activities will contribute to the successful achievement of the results expected by the construction project, in terms of quality of the work carried out and on the job training of the workers.

Working under the direction of the Programme Engineer, the service provider will be responsible for the technical quality related to the interventions to be implemented within Tall Maayan. S/he will advise on the planning, implementation and monitoring of the agricultural roads’ construction works to ensure interventions strategically achieve key results. Moreover, s/he will be monitoring the on-site trainings provided by the contractor to the workers as practical curriculum.

While a contractor will implement the on-site works, the service provider contracted under these ToR will supervise the implementation directly and assure that the work is completed and delivered without any defects and delays.

*Background information on the works to be implemented for the agricultural roads

The workers will start by cutting the bush, clearing the grass, and removing the rock and dead vegetation. The cleared grass, bush and vegetation should be disposed to the approved dump sites. After the site clearance, the workers will initiate the excavation works of the common soil from the roadway and the alignment of the intended drain or slope next to the agricultural road. The prepared subgrade should be well compacted and cleaned of topsoil and other unsuitable soils. Afterwards, the workers will be filling, spreading, and compacting the roads with good quality soil. Once filled, the roads shall be spread with sub-base material by labour in layers.  After spreading, the material shall be thoroughly compacted by rolling and sprinkling, when necessary. Finally, a base course is to be spread and compacted over the sub-base. A drainage structure is to be constructed to allow water to flow off and away from the road. Works include trench excavation, pouring of blinding concrete and reinforced concrete roadside drains and backfilling.

The overall objective of the assignment is to:

1. Assure that the quality of the construction works being implemented during the duration of the works is meeting technical standards without any defects and delays.
2. Prepare reports and schedules to be submitted to ILO.
3. Ensure that all the interventions and on-site trainings are in compliance with ILO environmental, humanitarian, decent work and safety standards.

3. Scope of Work and Methodology

ILO is seeking a service provider (with civil site engineering and/or surveying background) for the construction site in Tall Maayan to provide technical assistance and advice to the hired contractor implementing the works. S/He should be checking and referring to the provided technical designs and drawings for accuracy and ensure that they are followed correctly and that they meet agreed specifications, budgets, timescales and ILO standards. The service provider must also be preparing site reports and logging progress to be submitted to ILO Programme Engineer.

The service provider is also requested to supervise the workers and make sure that the attendance sheets are filled precisely, in close coordination with the contractor while ensuring that ILO health, safety and sustainability internal policies and legislation are adhered to.

The site engineer will undertake the following tasks under the above-mentioned processes:

Technical Assistance

• Providing technical assistance, coordination and follow up and managing day to day relations with the contracted entity to ensure high quality construction activities.
•  Assisting in finding practical solutions to site problems in close coordination with the contractor.
• Carrying out regular inspection and measurement of works, quality of materials and as-built drawings and certifying and recommending payment of completed works.
• Carrying out continual quality assurance during the construction phase to ensure that the construction is of an acceptable standard to ILO and the relevant Lebanese authorities.

Site Supervision and Monitoring

• Controlling engineering works and in particular the quality of works, safety and environmental aspects and compliance with ILO standards.
• Inspecting works for conformity to specifications and design instructions while ensuring work compliance with relevant engineering standards and codes
• Inspecting working and training conditions at construction sites, ensuring that occupational health and safety practices are in compliance with prevailing standards and helping to identify issues, blockages and misunderstandings occurring at the community level and providing suggestions for corrective action to facilitate complaints mechanism and undertake corrective actions.
• Monitoring work and training conditions on-site while ensuring adherence to labour laws and decent work principles.
• Ensuring that the performance dates specified in the agreed work plan are being achieved by contractors while identifying bottlenecks and pointing-out declining performance of contractor.
• Monitoring of the contracted staff on site and conveying attendance sheets to the programme engineer while ensuring conformity with the initial list of selected beneficiaries and eligibility criteria.

Reporting and Site Correspondence

• Conveying progress, comments, problems, and reports to programme engineer regarding the works being implemented.
• Assisting in monitoring the progress of the project activities by reviewing and verifying progress reports, final reports and other data for clarity, consistency, and completeness.
• Maintaining site records and photos of completed works.
• Attending regular and occasional site meetings with Contractor and other third parties as needed.
• Maintaining records of the Contractor’s activities and labour force.
• Preparing, dispatching, and receiving site correspondence while maintain a filing system.

Deliverables:

Deliverable #1: Occupational safety and health (OSH) and decent work trainings to be delivered to workers upon the start of the site works. It should be a one-day training whenever new workers join the site works, and one-hour weekly refreshment session for all the workers.

Deliverable #2: Monthly progress reports (using the format approved by ILO) at the end of each month that include all outstanding aspects of the overall proceedings, a qualitative vision of the works carried out, number of working hours and workdays, quality of materials and safety equipment etc … Reports must also include photos of the works before, during and after the interventions.

Deliverable #3: Monthly attendance sheets of workers and trainees.

Deliverable #4: Social, environmental and safety compliance checklists to be filled upon request.

Deliverable #5: Validated IPC (interim payment certificate) sheets, including Muster Rolls as detailed in the Breakdown of Payments and referred to in the Bill of Quantities.

Deliverable #6: Interim report on activities on the provided technical assistance for the construction works, including monthly attendance sheets for trainees and technical support staff, monthly monitoring sheets of materials used, monthly monitoring reports on practical training set up and construction sites and a breakdown of expenses incurred during the execution of the works.

Deliverable #7: Final report of activities, including monthly attendance sheets for workers and trainees, monthly monitoring sheets of materials used, monthly monitoring reports on practical training set up and construction sites …

Deliverable #8: Final list of workers involved in the implementation as well as the final list of trainees that were trained during the implementation.

Deliverable #9: Sustainability and maintenance plan to be developed by the service provider in close cooperation with the contractor. The plan should be available in English and Arabic, to be submitted to the municipality and/or other authorities in the area.

4. Deliverables, Timeframe & Indicative Work Programme

The work is expected to start in November 2023 and the start date is to be confirmed at a later stage. The expected activity duration is to be determined by the contractor. The contract duration will be for 5 months.

5. Site civil engineer profile

The service provider should meet the following requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree in civil engineering, surveying or other closely related field.
• Minimum of 4 years of site experience and field supervision of civil works.
• Experience of coordinating the activities of a multidisciplinary team including contractors and staff from diverse range of backgrounds.
• Substantial knowledge of the development and evaluation of civil engineering design and construction contracts, bills of quantities, and specifications.
• Proficiency in AutoCAD and standard Microsoft Office applications and relevant computer applications.
• Proficiency in using the total station (surveying equipment).
• Language requirements: Excellent command of Arabic and English.
• Resident of Akkar.

6. Proposal Submittals

The technical proposal is expected to be submitted by the candidates to include the following main components:   

1. CV demonstrating required capacity and level of education.
2. Copies of Diplomas.
3. Cover letter demonstrating why they are the most suitable for the work.
4. Employment certificates from relevant past works including past projects and assignments relevant to the above.
5. At least 3 professional references including detailed contacts.
6. Copy of Passport or National ID.

7. Payment Schedule  

Upon the submission of the deliverables detailing the activities performed including the above-mentioned summary, and other relevant documents to the satisfaction of the ILO, the consultant will be paid as per the following:

• 1^st payment will be transferred by 30 November 2023 upon the submission of the work plan and attendance sheets for OSH and decent work trainings, November monthly progress report (that will include all the components mentioned above), November attendance sheets for workers and trainees and the relevant social, environmental and safety compliance checklists as well as the validated IPC (Interim Payment Certificate) sheets submitted by the contractor during that month(Refer to Deliverables #1,2,3,4,5): 880$ for a total of 22 working days.
• 2^nd payment will be transferred by 31 December 2023 upon the submission of the work plan and attendance sheets for OSH and decent work trainings, December monthly progress report (that will include all the components mentioned above), December attendance sheets for workers and trainees and the relevant social, environmental and safety compliance checklists as well as the validated IPC sheets submitted by the contractor during that month(Refer to Deliverables #1,2,3,4,5): 780$ for a total of 20 working days.
• 3^rd payment will be transferred by the 15^th of January 2024 upon the submission of the interim report (Refer to Deliverable #6):  100 $
• 4^th payment will be transferred by the 31^st of January 2024 upon the submission of the work plan and attendance sheets for OSH and decent work trainings, January monthly progress report (that will include all the components mentioned above), January attendance sheets for workers and trainees and the relevant social, environmental and safety compliance checklists as well as the validated IPC sheets submitted by the contractor during that month(Refer to Deliverables #1,2,3,4,5): 880$ for a total of 22 working days.
• 5^th payment will be transferred by the 29^th of February 2024 upon the submission of the work plan and attendance sheets for OSH and decent work trainings, February monthly progress report (that will include all the components mentioned above), February attendance sheets for workers and trainees and the relevant social, environmental and safety compliance checklists as well as the validated IPC sheets submitted by the contractor during that month(Refer to Deliverables #1,2,3,4,5): 440$ for a total of 22 working days.
• 6^th payment to be transferred by the 15^th of March 2024 upon the submission of the final report and the final list of workers and trainees (Deliverable #7 & #8): 200$
• 7^th payment to be transferred by the 29^th of March 2024 upon the submission of the sustainability and maintenance plan (Deliverable #9): 240$

Total Contract Amount: $3,520.00