Upgrading/Construction of Chipata to Mfuwe (D104 &791) 104 km in Eastern Province _________________________________________________________________________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 2 ASSESSMENT ....................................................................................................................... 3 FINDINGS .............................................................................................................................. 4 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................ 6 APPENDIX ............................................................................................................................. 7 Selected laboratory Photographs ........................................................................................... 7 Site-assessed equipment list from SPA ........................................................................... .. 13

Laboratory Assessment Report

Page 1

Upgrading/Construction of Chipata to Mfuwe (D104 &791) 104 km in Eastern Province _________________________________________________________________________________

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The Government of the Republic of Zambia implemented the Upgrading of the Chipata to Mfuwe Road Project in Eastern Province, under the recurring annual work plans. The road had initially not been engineered and consisted only of a thinly graveled wearing course throughout, and two surfaced sections each of less than 2km in length. The full-length-upgrade engineering design consisted of; widened carriageway to 10.2m (2 lanes), double bituminous surface dressing type on a geometrically designed alignment. The road route runs in the NorthWesterly direction from Chipata, via settlement areas of Kalichelo, Jumbe, Chisengu and Mambwe until the national park resort of Mfuwe, approximately 101km.

The Construction Contract was awarded by RDA to Sable Transport & Construction Limited with BCHOD Consulting Engineers being engaged as the Design/Supervision Engineer and Project Managers. During the 22nd Technical Meeting of the contracted parties held on 25th June 2012 at the Resident Engineers Office in Chipata, concerns were raised as to the appropriateness and adequacy of the provided laboratory for work quality control. The Laboratory, situated at the Contractors Chisengu Camp, was being currently utilized under a joint Engineer/Contractor arrangement as there was no exclusive laboratory for the Project Managers Staff.

The Project Manager at the above technical meeting issued an instruction to Project Managers staff to compile a report on the laboratory situation.

The report herein is a response to that instruction and was prepared by the Assistant Resident Engineer collaborating with the Engineers Laboratory Technician and the Contractors Laboratory Manager for consensus.

Laboratory Assessment Report

Page 2

Upgrading/Construction of Chipata to Mfuwe (D104 &791) 104 km in Eastern Province _________________________________________________________________________________

2. ASSESMENT

The assessment of the laboratory was based on the Contract Specifications of Particular Application Clause B1402 Part (c) Laboratories and Clause B1402 Part (c) xvi Provision of laboratory equipment. The lists of equipment prescribed in the SPA were availed to the assessors, and an inspection of the facility carried out, with respect to availability and condition of each equipment piece, see Appendix.

Secondly the menu of the routine tests that were specifically being carried out on Works for the Project was identified and groups of pieces of laboratory equipment relevant only to each those particular procedures were also assessed in terms of availability and condition.

The findings of the exercise are summarized on the proceeding page.

Laboratory Assessment Report

Page 3

Upgrading/Construction of Chipata to Mfuwe (D104 &791) 104 km in Eastern Province _________________________________________________________________________________

3. FINDINGS The results of the investigation were summarized in two parts, the first one being a categorized table of the provided laboratory equipment compared against the prescribed levels in the SPA and the second, an outline of the routine tests that were being carried out on the works with an attached comment on the adequacy of the provided equipment as per investigation. TABLE 3.1: LABORATORY EQUIPMENT SITUATION AGAINST SPA
TEST CATEGORY QUANTITY IN SPA QUANTITY PROVIDED (No.) SIEVE ANALYSIS 239 63 QUANTITY PROVIDED PERCENTUM 26.4 %

ATTERBERG LIMIT

171

34

19.8 %

MAXIMUM DRY DENSITY/CBR FIELD DENSITY

567

79

13.9 %

273

10

3.7 %

177 CONCRETE 10 ASPHALT GENERAL-TO VARIOUS TESTS ABOVE OTHER-GENERAL 16579

5.3 %

40.0 %

37

2.7 %

Laboratory Assessment Report

Page 4

Upgrading/Construction of Chipata to Mfuwe (D104 &791) 104 km in Eastern Province _________________________________________________________________________________

TABLE 3.2: ROUTINE TESTS ON WORK VERSUS CONDITION OF EQUIPMENT

TEST AVAILABLE EQUIPMENT CONDITION

MDD

SATISFACTORY

PI

SATISFACTORY

GRADING ON GRAVEL

UNRELIABLE DUE TO DAMAGED 75 MICRON SIEVE

CBR

UNRELIABLE

DUE

TO

MISSING

.0127MM

GAUGE

AND

UNAUTHENTICATED CALIBRATION

UCS

SATISFACTORY

DUST CONTENT ON CHPPING STONE

UNRELIABLE DUE TO DAMAGED 75 MICRON SIEVE

FLAKINESS INDEX

AS SPECIFIED

ALD

AS SPECIFIED

Further on the provided building at Chisengu did not meet clause B1402 Part c (i) and (ii) of the SPA in terms of size and facilities prescribed therein.

Laboratory Assessment Report

Page 5

Upgrading/Construction of Chipata to Mfuwe (D104 &791) 104 km in Eastern Province _________________________________________________________________________________

4. CONCLUSION

The provided laboratory did not meet the specification for the Contract in terms of quantities and standard. Therefore, there was need to equip the laboratory accordingly, at least to satisfactorily acceptable levels, so as to build and subsequently maintain confidence in all the parties and stakeholders that the quality function was being carried out objectively on the Project and to acceptable standards.

Laboratory Assessment Report

Page 6

Upgrading/Construction of Chipata to Mfuwe (D104 &791) 104 km in Eastern Province _________________________________________________________________________________

APPENDIX

Selected laboratory Photographs

Laboratory building with office on the left and main lab room on right

Laboratory Assessment Report

Page 7

Upgrading/Construction of Chipata to Mfuwe (D104 &791) 104 km in Eastern Province _________________________________________________________________________________

Reverse view of lab with main room on left and small lab room on right

Laboratory Assessment Report

Page 8

Upgrading/Construction of Chipata to Mfuwe (D104 &791) 104 km in Eastern Province _________________________________________________________________________________

Inside main laboratory room

Laboratory Assessment Report

Page 9

Upgrading/Construction of Chipata to Mfuwe (D104 &791) 104 km in Eastern Province _________________________________________________________________________________

Inside small laboratory room

Laboratory Assessment Report

Page 10

Upgrading/Construction of Chipata to Mfuwe (D104 &791) 104 km in Eastern Province _________________________________________________________________________________

CBR Machine

Laboratory Assessment Report

Page 11

Upgrading/Construction of Chipata to Mfuwe (D104 &791) 104 km in Eastern Province _________________________________________________________________________________

Compression strength/UCS Machine

Laboratory Assessment Report

Page 12

Upgrading/Construction of Chipata to Mfuwe (D104 &791) 104 km in Eastern Province _________________________________________________________________________________

Site-assessed equipment list from SPA

Laboratory Assessment Report

Page 13