Contract Management Specialist

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About Trans-Hindukush Road Connectivity Project (THRCP/MOPW)
1. General Background of Project / Assignment

Improving Afghanistan’s infrastructure is essential for accelerating economic growth and poverty
alleviation. Despite very significant investment during the past decade, the country requires much
additional investment in transport infrastructure to ensure basic service delivery and enhance the
quality of life of its growing population, and also to reduce constraints on market access, regional
trade and economic growth. The functioning of Afghanistan’s economy and the country's national
integration depend to a large degree on reliable road connections across the Hindukush mountain
range, which stretches from the northeast of Afghanistan to the center of the country and thereby
establishes a physical barrier between the two key economic regions which are also the most highly
populated areas.

The Government of Afghanistan has obtained funding of US$ 250 million from the World Bank
(International Development Association – IDA) to develop, fund and help manage a project to ensure
reliable trans-Hindukush connectivity. . This objective will achieve through (i) rehabilitation of the 86
km Salang Pass and development of the 152 km Baghlan to Bamiyan (B2B) road to become a viable
alternative to the Salang Pass, and (ii) to establish suitable arrangements for the management,
maintenance and operation of those two roads. The objective of this project can only be achieved
through an integral project which combines the above-mentioned elements.

The THRCP project is being delivered by a government led Project Management Team (PMT) and a
new Construction Supervision Unit (CSU) has been set up to undertake site supervision of all
associated contracts. In parallel, the client has also appointed an international Implementation
Consultant (IC) team to provide oversight and support development and delivery of the project.

On behalf of MPW, the THRCP project is seeking a qualified Contract Management Specialist.
Job Summary
2. Purpose and Scope of Assignment:

The responsibilities of the Contract Management Specialist (CMS)under the supervision of the
Executive Director are to manage the timely delivery of roads rehabilitation and construction
activities, site supervision and management of staff in technical work units within the THRCP PMO,
while simultaneously provide capacity building support to the project staff.

The CMPCS will work closely with all units’ heads/consultants to oversee and direct the project’s
progression with the aim of ensuring that projects are completed within the determined time frame,
within the constraints of the budget, and with sufficient staffing.
Specific duties and responsibilities of the Contract Management Specialist will include but are not
limited to:
Job Details

Date Posted: 07 Feb 2018 Reference: VA – AFG/THRCP/MOPW

015/2018
 Closing Date: 17 Feb 2018 Work Type: Full Time

Number of 2 Gender: Any

Vacancies:

Functional Area: Procurement Open Ended: NO

Nationality: Afghan Salary Range: As per NTA Salary Scale Policy

Contract Type: Consultant Years of 5 Year(s)

Experience:

Contract Duration: 1 Year(s) & 0 Extension Yes

Month(s) Possibility:

Probation Period: 3 Months

Duties and Responsibilities
Technical Responsibilities:

The Contract Management Specialist (CMS)will be responsible for ensuring adherence to the
technical standards agreed by the project including but not limited to:

• Ensuring compliance with established standards for survey, design review, engineering cost
estimates, supervision of all civil works contracts and quality assurance;
• Supervise the local site engineers and quality control inspectors;
• Advise the Project Management Office on appropriate technical solutions for the delivery of road
construction services;
• Monitor implementation of the project activities against the yearly and quarterly work plans and
targets;
• Promote appropriate technology, technical standards and construction methods to meet the project
development objectives;

Management Responsibilities:

In addition to his/her technical duties, the consultant will have the following managerial
responsibilities for:

• Prepare a work plan in accordance with the project work schedule, identifying key targets and
performance indicators for each quarter;
• Ensure professional standards of project management to ensure adherence to international road
construction standards and conformity with WB rules and regulations;
• Prepare regular monthly and quarterly reports with recommendations to address implementation
bottlenecks according to the terms and conditions of the Project document and ensure timely
submission to the PMO Executive Director and MPW management;
• Verify that contracts are executed in accordance with the MPW and World Bank’s financial and
administrative rules and regulations;
• Share experiences with other stakeholders to promote good practices in the implementation of
infrastructure projects in Afghanistan;
• Ensure sound and transparent management practices;
• Training and Capacity Building:
• Coordinate the provision of training and development activities for Technical National Consultants
in each of the units.
Specific Duties:

Specific responsibilities and duties include but are not limited to:

• Develop/Review the existing Contract Management Procedures of the Project Management Team
(PMT) and establish a standard process in accordance with the World Bank’s procedures, FIDIC and
contract management practice;
• Establish and leading the Contract Management Unit responsible to prepare and maintain detailed
engineering, and construction schedules, including development of critical path and project float;
• In collaboration with project stakeholders i.e. contractor(s), Project Management Team of MPW,
and local authorities develop a plan and monitor performance during implementation stage of the
project;
• Supervision of road construction activities under THRCP
• Responsible for overall civil works contract management;
• Monitor the overall financial and physical progress of THRCP awarded contracts identifying and
removing bottlenecks to the timely implementation of contracts as required;
• Prepare guidelines for works control of contracts based on the terms and conditions of the
contracts and ensure full dissemination of guidelines throughout the project;
• Develop and deliver presentations on programme, recovery plans, delay analysis etc. to the client,
as and when needed;
• Arrange regular weekly meetings with contractors;
• Review all requests for Variation Orders and prepare documentation in support of contract
Variations including cost and no-cost variations as required;
• Review, verify and record payment certificates in support of financial disbursements to contractors;
• Review the current Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA & QC) Plans and Safety Manuals
and bring necessary improvements in order to adequately address the site issues and ensure quality
outputs and a safe environment for the workers and other stakeholders;
• Provide data verification support to the Reporting Officer in preparing project reports;
• Liaise with the QA/QC Specialist and site supervision engineers and make recommendations on
mitigation measures to prevent/minimize delays in contract implementation and contractor
payments;
• Undertake site visits to verify physical progress and quality of work as required;
• Develop and carry out monitoring and reporting systems to ensure the production of weekly and
monthly progress reports, including Gantt charts, time scaled Logic Diagrams and Histograms etc;
• Undertake assessment of Extension of Time and possible claims submitted by contractor(s);
• Monitoring, resources expenditure/usage, including materials and manpower;
• Preparation and submission of Time Impact Analysis to the client;
• In collaboration with contractor(s), set annual, quarterly and monthly performance objectives, work
plans and continuing to conduct periodic performance appraisals, including personal development
plans;
• Carry out any other tasks relevant to successful implementation of all roads construction activities
according to the engineering specifications and as per the contract documents.

3. Monitoring and Progress Controls

• Timely submission of monthly and quarterly Progressive reports to the Executive Director.
• Timely review of all THRCP contract documents and propose required variations orders for
approval.
• Ad-hoc meetings with field staff on work progress and challenges
4. Final Product

• THRCP sub Project are completed in full compliance with standards and specifications.

5. Qualifications and Experience

a. Education

• Master Degree or its equivalent Degree in Civil Engineering.

• Bachelor Degree in a related field with an additional 2 years of relevant experience (contract
management of civil works) may be accepted in lieu of the Master’s Degree requirement.
• PMP certificate, or equivalent, is highly desired.

b. Work Experience

• At least 5 years practical post-qualification experience, preferably in contract management of large

scale infrastructure projects.
• At least 3-year experience in quality management of large scale road/bridge construction project(s).
• Familiarity with FIDIC conditions of contract is required.
c. Key Competencies

• Good knowledge of facilitating techniques and demonstrated facilitating skills.

• Ability to produce high quality reports, presentations and other documents/outputs in English
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Willingness to work longs when required and is able to work under time pressure.
• Well organized and results orientated.
• Good working knowledge of English, both verbal and written, fluent in Dari and Pashto.
• Good working knowledge of Ms Office applications (Word, Excel) and internet/e-mail.
• A good team player with ability to work in a very challenging environment.
• Agility
• Solution Focused
• Effective Communications
Qualifications
• Master Degree or its equivalent Degree in Civil Engineering.
• Bachelor Degree in a related field with an additional 2 years of relevant experience (contract
management of civil works) may be accepted in lieu of the Master’s Degree requirement.
• PMP certificate, or equivalent, is highly desired.
Job Location
Afghanistan - Kabul

Education:
Masters Degree, Management
Submission Guideline
Submission of Applications
Qualified candidate may submit their application, including a letter of interest, complete Curriculum
Vitae, via Email Address: Kindly indicate the vacancy number (VA – AFG/THRCP - MOPW
015/2018) and the post title (Contract Management Specialist) in the subject line when applying by
email.
Additional Considerations
- Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
- Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
Submission Email
vacancies@thrcp.gov.af