Low-cost sealing of 1.2 km of Agoro Trading Centre roads, Agoro sub-county, Lamwo District.

Abstract

The Makerere University curriculum requires students of postgraduate Diploma in Construction Project Management to prepare and submit a technical project report as part of their assessments to the University. The report should be based on an ongoing or completed project the students have participated in, especially at the construction phase. This project report covers the construction administration aspects such as communication management, health and safety management, payments, claims, dispute resolutions, adherence to conditions of contract, and aspects of construction project management such as quality management, time management and cost control as exercised by the author while supervising teams. In addition, technical aspects such as adherence to specifications, conduction of field and laboratory tests, among others, during construction form part of this report. The project was implemented within Agoro Trading Centre in Lamwo District, Northern Uganda. The project was a low-cost technology sealing works of 1.2 km of Agoro Trading Centre roads in Lamwo District. The roads were constructed with two lanes of 2.7 meters each. The design and construction were done following the Ministry of Works and Transport (MoWT) standard manual for low-cost sealing of low-volume roads (2018), Uganda. The project’s initial and final budget remained the same as UGX 382,051,647=. However, the implementation schedule was adjusted from the initial sixty (60) days to seventy-five (75) days, owing to some challenges encountered. The project was awarded to M/s CME Enterprises Ltd after a rigorous procurement processes of user department procurement initiation, confirmation of funds availability, advertising/invitation to bid through a public gazette, bids receipt, evaluation and best evaluated bidder recommendation, review by the contracts committee, contract negotiation, award decision, clearance by the solicitor general, and contract signature. The project was delivered through a mix of both equipment and labour-intensive approaches and within the agreed cost and specifications. This report provides a detailed applications of contract administration and project management knowledge areas gained from the University in the real project implementation context. Key knowledge areas include cost, quality, time, and communication management. Construction projects involve a diversity of professionals, specialists and suppliers that contribute to project executions. Successful implementation of a project can only be achieved with good project management practices in place. Failure to have proper project management, monitoring, and control systems can easily result in poor relationships, disputes, cost and time overruns on a project.