Case Studies: The Case of Ethiopia Considered

For Implementing Quality Management System (QMS) Procedures in the Development

of Small-Scale Irrigated Agriculture Works:

The case of Ethiopia on the implementation of Quality Assurance, and Control (QA/C)
activities can be presented as in the following. The implementation of QMS that
constituted both QA and QC procedures is performed by different stakeholders at
various levels and project development phases.

The Federal level stakeholders like the Ministry of Water & Energy (MoWE), Ministry of
Agriculture (MoA) and including the recently established ministry, the Ministry of
Irrigation and Low Lands (MILL), are preparing programs that constituted activities like
project identification, at least at woreda level and in some instance at Kebele level,
appraisal of the program that again designed to constitute defining project objectives
and set goals, developing and or establishing generic indicators as baseline conditions,
preparing Terms of References (ToR) for various disciplines based on each
development phases/sub phases. The program components and implementation
modalities are also defined at this stage of the program implementation phase.

The program designed at Federal level including the input from bilateral and donors
defines all stakeholders, both the private and public agents that involves in the
implementation of QMS in the development of small-scale irrigation projects (SSIPs).
The Request for Proposal (RFP) that constituted the General Condition of Contract
(GCC), the Special Condition of Contract (SPC) which is usually known as the Data
Sheet, forms of proposal (both technical and financial), and more importantly the Terms
of Reference (ToR) and finally designed to constitute generic forms of Contract
agreement.

ToR is usually designed to provide objective and rationale of the respective project
development, project profiles that constituted information’s like project location, size of
the project interns of command area, type of water abstractions mechanisms such as
runoff harvesting in the case of micro dams and base flow abstractions in terms of river
diversion and pumping unit headwork types. Such ToR is designed as part of quality
assurance activities as it guides the consultant on the preparation of the Technical
Proposal by providing list of activities to be performed against the respective disciplines
& project development phases and some standards & detailed indicators like scale of
surveying works, soil investigations, scope of works etc segregated by the respective
disciplines and development phases, in which both the ToR and the TP are serving as a
tool for quality control guidelines during the feasibility study and design report review
works. The activities and standards and indicators set in the ToR and detailed
methodologies & standards presented in the TP are used as a quality control guideline
while checking all the requirements are met in the study and design process. Both the
preparation of the TP and the processes and/or procedures followed during the
feasibility study and design phases by all the sectors are part of the quality assurance
activities. During design review by the public agent the quality control activities are
implemented. Following the design review workshop if the performance of the
consultant is highly inferior and fail to meet the standards, and requirements set forth in
the ToR and in the TP, total rejection will be implemented. On the other hand if
performance of the consultant is adequate enough with relatively few comments, then
the review work will be suggesting constructive comments that will be used to further
enhance quality performances and indicate methodologies for improving the study and
design works, in which in this case the review workshop is serving as a quality
assurance guideline.

In the case of Ethiopia both Quality Assurance & Quality Control activities for study and
design phases are performed by using the TOR and TP as QA/QC guideline toolkits.
However, such performance procedures have faced some limitations that include
inferior preparation of the ToR. In the case of bigger public agents, like the Federal
government bodies, Amhara and Oromia regions, where, the ToR is relatively well
thought though these are still facing some limitations. In such cases the ToR and the
TPs are serving as a better guideline toolkit for quality assurance and control
performances,
The development of irrigated agriculture involves various sectors/disciplines and
development phases/sub phases. The overall SSIP development involves five distinct
development phases namely:

 The Planning and Design (PD) Phase;

 The Detail Study and Design (DSD) Phase;
 The Implementation and/or Construction (I/C) Phase;
 The Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Phase; and
 The Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Phase.

The Study and Design phase is also segregated in to three sub phases and/or stages
including:

 Pre-Feasibility Study (DSD/PFS) Stage;

 Feasibility Study and Preliminary Design (DSD/FS-PD) Stage; and
 Detail Design and Tender Document Preparation (DSD/DD-TDP) Stage.

By the end of each phase and /or stages a review workshop that completes in a day or
two will be launched and consultants’ performance for the respective sector/discipline
and/or project components will be evaluated against the requirements and standards
set forth in the ToR, TP, and program documents. Quality assurance and Control during
Project implementation is performed by evaluating construction works against the
specifications set forth within the tender document for each specific project and for each
specific project component. QA/C activities for project implementation phase is
commenced by selecting an appropriate contractor following the performance of the
study and design phase, the supervising/resident engineer is helping the contractor to
prepare detailed schedule based on actual site condition of the respective project, it
also help the contractor to develop resource scheduling based on the proximity and
accessibility of the respective construction material quality sites & source of supplies.
The RE is also preparing samples for laboratory analysis works such sieve analysis for
sand materials, etc. Furthermore, the RE guides the construction engineer in
interpreting the technical specifications and detailed drawings. The RE is also guiding
the CE on how to develop as built drawings and on the preparation of takeoff sheets.
Guidance and assistance on the setting out works during the location of the entire
layout and the layout of each specific hydraulic structures are also part of the activities
in this phase of the project development phase, by doing such things the resident
engineer is performing more of quality assurance activities.

The activity performed by the public agents, in obliging the consultant to bring the
minutes for mass discussions and Focus Group/Key Informant discussions made at
woreda level offices and with the beneficiary communities shall be attached with the
study and design reports can be regarded as best practices to ensure community and
local government staff are consulted during the site level field survey/investigation
works of the respective project. The Quality Assurance Procedure inquires that the
minutes shall be signed by the target beneficiary communities participated in the mass
discussion and focus group discussions and local level public agent staff. Moreover, the
consultant is obliged to collect a letter written and stamped by the Kebele Association
Chair Man office to serve as a witness that the Consultant has performed site level
detail investigation works, primary data collections, surveying works and conducted
community involvements & participations. During the review workshop the public agent
is checking if these Quality Assurance mechanisms are performed and if not, the public
agent will perform total rejection of the current phase field level investigations and will
demand for that particular activity to be re-performed. The process of obliging the
Consultant to collect such witnesses at site level are the mechanisms by which Quality
Assurance activities are implemented and the decisions made as a result of the review
workshop is considered as the procedures of implementing Quality Control
mechanisms.

To assist the implementation of QA and QC procedures in the detail study and design
phase of SSIPs implementation phase, both MoWE and MoA have developed generic
guidelines specific to the development of medium scale irrigated agriculture and SSIPs
works respectively. In these guidelines various activities and requirements including
methodologies and standards and indicators are presented against the respective
project components and DSD stages. The activities and standards enumerated in these
guidelines, if not exhaustive, are serving as Quality assurance and control mechanisms.
Prefeasibility studies, feasibility studies & preliminary design stage works and finally
detail design and tender document preparation stage performances are all guided by
such quality assurance mechanisms such as the ToR and the TPs. These SSIP
guidelines have put the various checklist of activities and standards including some
generic indicators so that these guidelines are used to serve the implementation of
quality assurance mechanisms.