CONTRACTING FOR LOCAL MAINTENANCE

Maintenance Maintenance is mainly restoring the surface layer and repairing drainage to ensure that water is carried away from the surface Preventive maintenance requires continuous inspection and repair of faults (repair and clean drains, fill potholes): it requires a permanent « lengthman » around every 2km Periodic maintenance involves partial regravelling of the surface and drain rebuilding, usually after the rainy season Emergency repairs (mudslides, massive erosion) can require heavy equipment and aid) A low-volume road is unlikely to last longer than 8 years, without maintenance perhaps 2 rainy seasons Expect to pay about 400-600+ USD per km.year (more if graders used) (better than 5000+ USD to rebuild if you do not)

Maintenance management A contract will be issued for a length of road to a small formal or informal firm or an association The contractor will engage, equip and supervise lengthmen using mobile supervisors Close supervision will be needed to make sure that he is doing his job A local user group will provide quality control A bigger formal sector contractor may be necessary with light equipment for periodic maintenance over a part of the network

Performance-based management Contractor not paid based on quantity of work done at unit prices as laid out in building contract He is provided with the task of maintaining road assets according to minimum service levels specified in the contract How he does it is up to him More risk for him on a bad year but he has incentives to innovate to reduce costs Management must be sure to get the service standards right and know what it should cost to detect bidding collusion

Contracting safeguards Competent contractors are rare and training is necessary not only in doing the job but in bidding procedures and management generally Contract documents must be simple otherwise bids are incoherent Contractors are sometimes dishonest and controls are necessary: Quality of work and respect of schedule Make sure workers are paid and equipped with the right tools Make sure clauses about gender are respected Contractors are also vulnerable and regular and rapid payment is esential Performance-based contracting is more effective if supervision is effective and honest

References Perfomance based maintenance management http://www.ruralroads.org/en/funds.shtml Road mainteance