Purchasing

THE KENYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

PSM 206: WBA

SUBMISSION DATE: SITTING C.A.T DATE

WSP International Management Consulting Ltd

The Indian Ocean tsunami of 26 December 2004 was one of the worst natural disasters of recent years. It devastated large areas of coastline in fourteen countries bordering the Indian Ocean, wiped out entire communities and caused an estimated 300,000 deaths in the region. In 2006 WSP, a global business providing management and consultancy services to the property, transportation and infrastructure, environment and energy and management and industrial sectors, was called in by the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) to re-house more than 11,000 people made homeless by the tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia. The company oversaw the reconstruction of 21 villages – 17 of which had to be relocated – and the design and rebuilding of nearly 4,000 flood and earthquake-resistant homes.

The Indonesian Government had specified that new housing stock should be of a higher quality than before, while aid agencies stressed “build communities, not just houses” to help restore normal life. WSP was given two key responsibilities – the first to inform, educate and update the client as to the planning and construction process, including the options and associated risks available to them for achieving the goals of the project and, secondly, delivering the range of professional services necessary for managing the construction process to a successful and timely conclusion. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) gave a deadline to complete the houses no later than 31 March 2009.

The most significant resource that had to be brought into place was the shelter project management unit (PMU), which included WSP, other consultants and CRC staff. Its duties ranged from managing field staff in several locations, co-ordinating stakeholders, programme management, managing several contracts and consultants, procurement, financial management and addressing project value...