Experience

Sheladia Associates, Inc.

• United States
• Engineering Services
• 200 - 300 Employee

• Team Leader & Senior Road Maintenance Engineer in “Rural Road Asset Management” Project

  • Aug 2019 - Present

  Guiding and managing a team of international and national specialists,, consisting of Axle Load Control Specialists, Reorganization Specialist, Software Development & GIS Specialists, Training Specialists and Legal Expert in below main activities. Institutional & Organisational: - Develop revised organisational structure for Department of Rural Roads (DRR) and assist the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD), to get the required minister approval for the revised organisation; - Assist the MRD with the Implementation of Revised Organisation; - Establish formal road numbering and road classifications, and reference all road assets (incl. structures along the roads); - Update the existing Rural Roads Policy; - Develop business plans for the new sections of DRR, i.e. Rural Road Asset Management (RRAM)/ GIS section, and Axle Load Control Section. Oversee and guide the team to develop a fully functioning Rural Road Asset Management System, RRAMS, integrating road maintenance planning tools, including costing, prioritization, reporting and budgeting of maintenance activities, functional classification, economic and cost-effectiveness analyses, network functions and traffic, integration of GIS and database management access, web-based access, user modules and reporting. Advise the national programmers on development of a "Contract Management System" for the MRD, incorporating all the road works contracts (construction/ rehabilitation and maintenance works) Axle Load Control Strengthening duties: - Assist MRD to procure axle load control equipment, incl writing equipment specifications, review and evaluate suppliers bids; - Synchronize the axle load control procedures with the Ministry of Public Works (MPWT), responsible for the national roads, and assist with issuing a joint minister degrees; Develop and implement training on Rural Road Asset Management System (RRAMS) and axle load control. Writing and submitting monthly-, quarterly-, and other required reports. Show less



Sweco Danmark A/S

• Laos

• TL & Road Asset Mng Expert in “Climate Resilient Road Planning, Asset Mng Support & Cap Build" Proj

  • Jul 2018 - Aug 2019

  Guiding a team of International and Local Specialists to: (i) develop Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) climate change action plan; (ii) operationalize hazard maps into practical vulnerability maps for planning of road infrastructure maintenance and investments; (iii) review and update current tools for road management and maintenance planning; (iv) prepare a medium-term climate resilient national road preservation plan; (v) review and update road sector designs, standards and guidelines to incorporate climate resilience aspects. This work also included re-writing the MPWT’s “The Road Maintenance Procedures For Road Networks” so that roads’ vulnerability to climate hazards and expected climate change impacts were incorporated into the documents. This document was approved by the Minister of MWPT and adopted as the officials guideline for maintenance of Lao roads; and (vi) design mechanisms to strengthen emergency road repair management; and (vii) carry out annual field surveys to include necessary data in the road management information systems for risk-based planning Show less



Various Consultant Companies

• Laos

• Proposal Writer

  • Mar 2018 - Jun 2018

  Assist with preparing miscellaneous proposals with the focus on the technical parts, e.g. proposal for ADB financed Transport Sector Development Project on Solomon Islands. Assist with preparing miscellaneous proposals with the focus on the technical parts, e.g. proposal for ADB financed Transport Sector Development Project on Solomon Islands.



Oriental Consultants Global Co. Ltd.

• Laos

• Road Asset Management and Procedures Specialist in "Road Sector Governance and Maintenance Project"

  • Sep 2016 - Apr 2018

  In close cooperation with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) reviewing and revising MPWT Technical Documents, (i) Technical Specifications for Road Construction and Maintenance, inter alia introducing Superpave specifications to Laos - these specifications were approved by the Minister of MPWT for nation-wide use, (ii) Road Maintenance Manual and (iii) Performance-Based Maintenance contract documents, used for the implementation of the road rehabilitation and maintenance works in the project; Developing Road Asset Management training courses; Assisted the Team Leader in preparing miscellaneous reports requested by ADB and MPWT. Show less



SWEDISH NATIONAL ROAD CONSULTING AB

• Sweden
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Road Maintenance-/PBC Specialist in “Extending Community Inclusive PBC Local Road Road Maintenance"

  • Oct 2017 - Feb 2018

  Introducing Performance-Based maintenance of local roads, by involving communities in the maintenance works.This work included reviewing current situation regarding road maintenance, and preparing a Diagnostic report, followed by a Refinement report detailing the approach on Performance-Based maintenance of local roadsPreparing PBC Maintenance Guidelines for communities; Preparing contract documents for involving communities in the PBC maintenance works;Conducting site visits to the northern provinces and having meetings with District Economic Infrastructure Division (DEID), Meeting with Community People's Committee (CPC) etc., as well as observing maintenance works performed by communities.Joining regular meetings with WB, Ministry of Public Works and other stakeholders. Show less

• Road Maintenance Engineer in "Lao Road Sector Project 2 (LRSP2)"

  • Oct 2017 - Dec 2017

  Reviewing existing Performance Based Contract documents and improving them for use in the project.



Various Consultant Companies

• Lao PDR and Sweden

• Proposal Writer

  • Nov 2015 - Jun 2016

  Assisting with preparing miscellaneous proposals, with the focus on the technical parts. Assisting with preparing miscellaneous proposals, with the focus on the technical parts.



CONTRANS AB

• Buon Ma Thuot, Vietnam

• Road Maintenance Specialist

  • Nov 2015 - Dec 2015

  Team member of the PPTA Consultant on the ADB-financed "Preparation of Border Areas Development Project". The tasks included/s: - Reviewing current maintenance planning and fund allocation practices, organizational structures, availability of hardware and software, availability of road condition data, capacity and training needs of staff; - Assessing performance of the provincial road maintenance units and proposing remedial actions where needed; - Making recommendations for improved annual 5-year budget and maintenance plans; - Preparing road maintenance guidance manual; - Prepare maintenance training programs with implementation schedules and carrying out initial training for provincial staff. Show less



Oriental Consultants

• Japan
• Civil Engineering
• 300 - 400 Employee

• Team Leader/ Road Maintenance Specialist

  • Jun 2014 - Sep 2015

  Team Leader for the team of international and local consultants for implementing the Project Preparatory Technical Assistance (PPTA) for designing the approximately 30 MUSD Lao Road Sector Governance and Maintenance Project.Closely liaised with and advised the other team members, on all the components of the study, including the (i) engineering, (ii) economic, (iii) financial, (iv) procurement, (v) institutional development, (vi) private sector involvement and the (vii) environmental and (viii) social safeguards components of the study.Reviewed pertaining road maintenance issues in Laos as (i) overloading, (ii) maintenance funds constraints, (iii) institutional arrangements and capacity and the (iv) private sector capacity for road maintenance. Based on the findings, included mitigating components in the project design.As the Performance Based Maintenance (PBM) was the chosen maintenance approach for both the equipment based as well the labor based maintenance works; worked closely with the engineer, private sector specialist, institutional development specialist, social safeguard specialists and the procurement specialist in order to ensure that all aspects of PBM were taking into consideration for the project design.Continuously and closely liaised with ADB on all aspects of the Study incl. during the missions for the Inception Report, Midterm Report and Draft Final Report presentations. Compiled and finalised all project reports (Inception, Midterm, Draft Final and Final).Kept a close relation with other development partners, i.e. WB, KfW and JICA and other consultants during the project design for harmonizing systems and procedures. This included a review of the activities they had undertaken as well as coordination of future activities. Show less

• Road Maintenance Expert

  • Jan 2014 - Dec 2014

  Being the Road Maintenance Expert in the JICA financed project “Improvement of Road Management Capability Project within MPWT in Lao People’s Democratic Republic”.Reviewed and improved existing MPWT Performance-Based Contract documents, as well as reviewed and improved existing training material on Performance-Based Contract that was to be used on Workshops country-wide in Laos. Trainees were participating from the Ministry of Public Works, and from all of its provincial departments and district offices, as well as invited contractors who were considered as potential future contractors on Performance Based Contracts (PBC). Acted as a trainer in the Workshops as well as being the overall supervisor of the other trainers (MPWT staff). Prepared training reports to JICA, the financier of the workshops. Show less



Freelance

• Khammuane Province, Lao PDR

• Technical Auditor

  • May 2015 - Aug 2015

  Technical Auditor in the World Bank financed Khammuane Development Project (KDP), which was financing construction of roads, box culverts, community water supply (boreholes with pumps, hand dug wells, elevated water tanks, spring caps), irrigation, weirs, health centres, secondary- and primary schools and kindergartens. As the Technical Auditor I was reviewing following features of District Development Fund (DDF) investments for the 10 Districts in Khammuane Province and providing strategic and practical recommendations on areas identified for improvement: - Technical quality of infrastructure funded through DDF (including design, cost estimation, materials, relevance of investment, and adherence to appropriate sector standards); - Procurement procedures and documentation compliance (including bid preparation, contract compliance, quality control- verification and acceptance); - Access and Utilization (Before and After) by the target beneficiaries; - Cost effectiveness (comparing to similar projects and/or government’s projects); - Operation and Maintenance (O&M); - Environmental and social safeguards compliance. Show less



Hifab

• Sweden
• Community Development and Urban Planning
• 200 - 300 Employee

• Cross-cutting Transport Management Specialist

  • Dec 2013 - Jun 2014

  Worked in the Sector Planning and Management Project, a component under the World Bank financed Lao Road Sector Project (LRSP). Reviewed the existing Rural Transport Infrastructure Strategy (RTIS) and discussed it with the client Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) officials. Based on the findings of past experience and taking into account the current situation, wrote a comprehensively revised Rural Transport Infrastructure Strategy for the MPWT. Prepared a working paper on Road Maintenance in Laos, including innovative aspects of road maintenance, which had not been covered in earlier Lao road maintenance papers. Show less



Freelance

• Khammuane Province, Lao PDR

• Technical Auditor

  • Feb 2014 - May 2014

  Being the Technical Auditor in the World Bank financed Khammuane Development Project (KDP), which was financing construction of roads, box culverts, community water supply (boreholes with pumps, hand dug wells, elevated water tanks, spring caps), irrigation, weirs, health centres, secondary- and primary schools and kindergartens. As the Technical Auditor I was reviewing following features of District Development Fund (DDF) investments for the 10 Districts in Khammuane Province and providing strategic and practical recommendations on areas identified for improvement: - Technical quality of infrastructure funded through DDF (including design, cost estimation, materials, relevance of investment, and adherence to appropriate sector standards); - Procurement procedures and documentation compliance (including bid preparation, contract compliance, quality control- verification and acceptance); - Access and Utilization (Before and After) by the target beneficiaries; - Cost effectiveness (comparing to similar projects and/or government’s projects); - Operation and Maintenance (O&M); - Environmental and social safeguards compliance. Show less



Finnroad

• Solomon Islands

• Road Works Advisor

  • Oct 2012 - Jun 2013

  Developed a Labor-Based, Equipment-Supported (LBES) maintenance program and a capacity development plan for private sector contractors and community groups. Providing extensive on-the-job training and formal training in all aspects of road infra structure management, including inter alia planning, budgeting, procurement, implementation, reporting etc. Made a complete overhaul of the tender documents used for Labor-Based Equipment Supported road works. This resulted in improved tender documents, which subsequently were approved by the ministry and are currently in use. Introduced through testing, preparing guidelines and demonstrations to MID staff and other consultants procedures for using MS Access database for rapid preparation of multiple sets of tender documents (database was not yet used for tender documents preparation), which was essential for being able cope with the huge number of tender documents needed to be prepared. Liaising closely with other components of the project, i.e. construction- and rehabilitation of roads, safe guards, asset management, procurement, monitoring and evaluation, budgeting and accounting, policy and legal. Show less



GFA Consulting Group GmbH

• Germany
• International Trade and Development
• 700 & Above Employee

• Road and Infrastructure Expert

  • Jul 2012 - Sep 2012

  Assisting European Union (EU) delegation in Swaziland, Ministry of Economic Planning & Development (MEPD) and MPWT in the evaluation of tenders for two major international competitive bidding road projects. Among others this included participating in several evaluation meetings as an advisor, extensive Unit Rate analysis of Contractors rates on different activities, reviewing documents as work plans, method statements, tender guarantees etc, submitted by the Contractors. PRAG was used continuously as a guideline Providing capacity building and training to EU, MEPD and MPWT in tender evaluations, through on-the-job training and presentations cum workshops. Assisting in preparation of tender documents for three major road projects. Training MEPD and MPWT staffs in road works supervision procedures, and assessing these ministries supervision capacity, which resulted in a thorough report on their supervision capacity, including recommendations for future organization of road works supervision. Show less



GFA Consulting Group GmbH

• Germany
• International Trade and Development
• 700 & Above Employee

• Road and Infrastructure Expert

  • Oct 2011 - Dec 2011

  Assisting European Union (EU) delegation in Swaziland, Ministry of Economic Planning & Development (MEPD) and MPWT in the evaluation of tenders on two major international road projects. Among others this included participation in several tender evaluation meetings as an advisor, extensive Unit Rate analysis of Contractors rates on different activities, reviewing documents as work plans, method statements, tender guarantees etc, submitted by the Contractors. EU's guidelines PRAG was continuously used. Providing capacity building and training to EU, MEPD and MPWT in tender evaluations, through on-the-job training and presentations cum workshops. Assisting in preparation of tender- and contract documents on major road projects. Show less



Norconsult

• Norway
• Civil Engineering
• 700 & Above Employee

• Regional Engineer, REE

  • Jun 2010 - Jun 2011

  Worked in ‘Central Region Transport Networks Improvement Sector Project’, Nha Trang Region, Vietnam, financed by ADB and NDF. The roads being upgraded were a combination of provincial and district roads, selected using a network approach for each province. The scope of work included besides the supervision works, preparing final designs and bid documents, procurement, resettlement plans, ethnic minority specific actions, and ethnic minority development plans, environmental monitoring programmes, etc As REE being responsible for the management of Nha Trang regional office and the supervision of road works within Nha Trang Region including 16 contracts in 4 provinces. Following tasks were performed: • Liaising with the Project Monitoring Unit (PMU) from the Ministry of Transport, and its Provincial units Provincial Project Monitoring Unit (PPMUs), regarding project matters; • Liaising with the 3 Regional Offices in other regions, including the Project Management Office in Danang, in order to get a harmonised implementation of all project works; • Frequently making site visits to assess problems and the progress of road works, which included participating in meetings with contractors and the client's representatives, trying to resolve resettlement problems on spot, participating in 'Stage Handing Over' of contracts, partcipating in Taking Over- and Final Inspections; • Certifying Interim Payment Certificates; • Approving ‘Working Drawings’, ‘As Built Drawings’, Construction Methods and other important contract documents; • Making recommendations for Variation Orders to the Client; • Regularly preparing Project Reports; • Hiring local professional staff for the project when needed, through interviews and assessments of their bio-data. Show less



Hifab International

• Dhaka, Bangladesh

• Team Leader, Rural Transport Improvement Project

  • May 2009 - Mar 2010

  Team Leader in a project which main features were rural development, through reconstruction, upgrading and maintenance of feeder roads, village roads, growth centres, bridges, etc. Acting as counterpart to the Project Director and advised/assisted the Executive Engineers. Responsible for and managing Consultant’s TA-team, both the international TA and local professional- and support staff. Main duties included: • Cooperating closely with, advising and assisting the Project Director in preparing a detailed project implementation plan, detailed budget and financial management and control of the project; • Preparing monthly, quarterly and annual reports of physical and financial progress and performance of all components of the project; • Hiring local professional staff for the project when needed, through interviews and assessments of their biodata; • Working closely with the Environmentalist when considering issuing the Environmental Compliance Certificate to Contractors in connection with their Final Bills; • Develop and operate a physical and financial progress monitoring system for all project components, i.e. Project Monitoring System (PMS); • Participating as advisor in Project review meetings with LGED and WB; • Carry out site visits while liaising with the client, other members of the consultant team and contractors, in order to enhance the performance of the contractors; • Provide advisory support to the consultants undertaking the socio-economic impact study; • Management and follow-up of the TA Budget; • Certify Running Bills and Final Bills for works satisfactorily performed by Contractors. Show less



Roughton Partnership SA

• Lusaka/Kabwe, Zambia

• Rural Roads Coordinator, Rural / Feeder Road Programme

  • Mar 2008 - May 2009

  Tasks included: Assist Road Development agency (RDA) to develop each year’s Annual Programme of priority roads in the Provinces for rehabilitation and maintenance of feeder roads. This included paying due attention to environmental, social and poverty aspects; • Carry out frequent site visits, -together with Start up- and Monthly meetings-, in order to ensure that contracts are implemented as agreed with respect to quality, quantities and time. • Assist RDA to oversee and manage the supervision consultants; • Assist RDA to procure both the Supervision Consultant and the road works. This included preparing bidding documents, conducting Bid Evaluations, subsequent preparation of Bid Evaluation reports with recommendations for award of Contracts, and preparation of contract documents; • Prepare contributions to TA Team Quarterly Reports, including progress of the road works, environmental and social issues; • Participate in preparing a training needs study and developing a Capacity Building Plan for RDA staff, including development of core systems for planning & prioritizing of roads, procurement of works contracts and contract administration. The main input to the training needs study was a country-wide workshop, where participants from all districts reported their individual training needs. This workshop was facilitated by the Rural Roads Coordinator. • Assist RDA in the preparation, execution and follow-up of Annual Workshops, and Steering Committee Meetings on specific issues of programme implementation, including participants from other rural rods interventions (financed by DANIDA, WB, KfW); • Identifying local stakeholders and recommending coordination arrangements such as Road User Committees to assist in optimal development of road networks; • Participating in review meetings with EU and other donors, and assisting with Annual Reviews and Audits. Show less



Sweroad

• Sweden
• Business Consulting and Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Maintenance Management Advisor and Road Administration Development Advisor

  • Jun 2001 - Feb 2008

  Supported the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) and Department of Public Work & Transport (DPWTs) in all provinces, with introducing and developing best practice road asset management procedures. This included inter alia developing procedure and systems, -e.g. developing the computerized Provincial Road Maintenance Management System-, preparing needed documentation, training plans, conducting both theoretical as well as OJT training, and performing other related activities.

• Project Director

  • Oct 2000 - May 2001

  The Project Director's tasks at the Sweroad head office in Sweden included:- Preparation of tenders, contract negotiations and contract management, including technical and financial proposals in connection with international bidding on projects financed by Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank (WB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Swedish, Nordic and other International Development Agencies. - Being responsible for a long-term Institutional building project within the Ministry of Communication (MoC) Saudi Arabia, with the primary objectives assisting MoC in the development of highway maintenance programmes, traffic safety and road information systems. Assessing and recruiting staff to this project. Show less



KM (earlier VAB Road & Rail Engineering) in association with Hifab International

• Udomxay Province, Lao PDR

• Road Administration Development Advisor

  • Sep 1998 - Mar 2000

  - Design, procurement and contract management of construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of provincial- and district roads; - Assist DPWTs pre-qualifying contractors bidding for maintenance/construction works; - Institutional Development of the local road authority Department of Public Works and Transport (DPWT); - Development and implementation of road maintenance systems for provincial- and district roads; - Providing guidance to contractors, provincial authorities and local consultants, on design and implementation of road works; - Preparation and implementation of work plans, budgets and reports on project activities. Show less



Hifab International

• Bangladesh

• Team Leader / District Engineering Advisor

  • Jun 1997 - Jul 1998

  - Team Leader for all administrative- and technical advisor staff and advisor to the Executive Engineers within three districts of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) concerning planning and construction of infrastructure on rural and urban areas; - Organizing and supervising bush planting schemes for stabilizing road slopes. As an income generating activity the poorest women from local communities were hired for these schemes; - Working closely with other government departments and ministries on project relevant matters; - Other tasks included budget preparation, concept preparation, design supervision, cost control, field visits to evaluate the quality and progress of works, meetings with contractors and being responsible for co-ordination meetings and discussions with other similar projects. Show less