Local contractors flooded BRR with requests for prequalification

Last week, BRR issued a press release to inform the contractors’ selection process. The numbers were astonishing. 3,088 companies took the prequalification document, 2,885 contractors, and 203 consultants.

Not all submitted the documents, but most did. BRR received prequalification documents from 2,267 contractors and 121 consultants. 2,134 companies are Aceh-based. The prequalification results will be announced on 27 March 2006. A joint committee (BRR, Unsyiah, BPKP (State Financial Audit Board)) is processing the prequalification documents.

The number was unbelievable. Is it true that Aceh already had many construction companies before the disaster? If this is in Jakarta, I won't be surprised. Similar numbers of contractors worked in Jakarta in the golden years of the 90s. Or are they just people who want to grab the opportunity in the reconstruction job?

My alarm in the head was ringed. This condition can cause serious problem. It can describe in short in 2 implications.

First, only a small number of them are really genuine contractors. What I mean with genuine is capable, sufficient experience, adequate capital, own warehouse, construction equipments and vehicles, strong connections with suppliers, supported by big number of skilled labors and managed by professional engineers. So, we can predict if the huge number of contracts will be disbursed, these kind of contractors can win the job. Then we can expect the poor quality of work will produce.

Second, there are construction companies intentionally made for get the contract. And soon after they win the job, they will sub contract the job to other company. The bad news is not over yet. This subcontracting will go to 2 or 3 tiers. At the end of the day, the last tire will suffered out of cash. And they will easily leave the job unaccomplished.

Arwin Soelaksono - Disaster Response & reConstruction

Dumbest thing in Aceh reconstruction works, NGO competition

Enormous funding flowing into Aceh due to extensive publication on tsunami victims. It brought 124 International NGOs, dozens of UN organizations and 430 local NGOs flocked to Aceh. All of these parties have their responsibility in relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction of Aceh. And off course they have their responsibility as a channel of their donor who poured the funding through them.

Around mid of 2005, in big cities like Banda Aceh and Meulaboh, the presence of NGOs made these 2 cities looks like getting smaller. These 2 towns are crowd of organizations. Nearly everyone are in the high spirit to run their program. If everyone is getting hot and the area is crowd the issue is who will be the beneficiaries of the huge funding? The nasty thing to do is persuade the beneficiary to receive someone’s program and in the same time reject others.

For instance is in permanent shelter work. There is a competition of the size and the completeness of the house. Some NGO to win the heart of the beneficiary’s they built 2 stories houses. Some provide kitchen set. Some endow with cash to move in the new house. The beneficiaries were spoiled that they can choose on one NGO and refuse others. Or they can bargain with some NGO in order to seize the best they can get.

This is utterly awful, the mission to reach many people shifted to put the flag of the organization on higher ground. If everyone’s mindset is to provide decent house to as many tsunami victims can get, the competition as mentioned above will not happen. The bigger house, the more complete house built or even more beautiful house, will reduce the number of beneficiary.

Other example from permanent shelter reconstruction works is as happen in Meulaboh, Aceh Barat District. Most of the NGO are prepared to build 36 m sq meters houses. But there was a day, when one NGO came to the local authority told all their houses will be 45 sq meters. Concerned with the jealousy will spread amongst the citizens, the local authority instructed all NGOs to build the same size with that NGO. Same as above based on the budget availability the number of the beneficiary decrease.

But the jealousy already reaches to other district. People of Aceh Jaya District which the closest area of Aceh Barat District receive smaller houses. Most of the NGO here build the 36 sq meters house.

Yesterday evening, a group of villagers came to our office in Rigaih, Aceh Jaya. They asked me, why we treat them differently. They knew that we build 45 sq meters house in Aceh Barat but here the 36 sq meters. In anger they forced me to build same as we build in Aceh Barat otherwise they will kick us out. I told them, we will only build the 36 sq meters. We will not persuade them to receive it. They who are willing to get the 36 sq meters house they can have it freely otherwise they can go to other NGO to receive bigger house. And I told them, if all of them agree to refuse us, we will leave that community.

NGO competition brings bad attitude to the beneficiaries. It made them spoiled. At the end of the day can dictate the NGO who helped them to fulfill their unreasonable needs. Our mission is not only building a house. More than that, we have to share the noble values which are embedded in every NGO entity.

Arwin Soelaksono - Disaster Response & reConstruction

Bridge Collapse in Panga

This was shocking to us! Last 6 days ago, we just awarded one supplier for bulk buying. They will send their materials from Meulaboh to our sites on the West Coast. It means they will pass this bridge. With this situation, they have to change the route. The roadway from Banda Aceh to the West Coast is not much better than Meulaboh's.

Below is the email of Eka Rinanda from the Aceh Jaya Field Office
Office of the United Nations Recovery Coordinator for Aceh and Nias (UNORC): Today at around 12.00 am a UNORC Calang received a report of a bridge (bailey bridge) collapse in Panga. A 30 - 40 MT JICS truck loaded with sand/gravel, which was trying to cross, stumbled into the river. No casualties were reported - there was only one driver and no passenger, but the truck is still in the river. The location is in the Ulee Titi sub-village, Keude Panga village, Panga sub-district. The bridge is not totally disconnected but twisted halfway through; therefore, it is not passable for vehicles. Motorbikes can go through, some reported, but passengers have to get off.

I contacted Samaritan's Purse in Panga for the above-detailed information and informed the BRR Regional Office here. I have called Dewi Elyana in our Meulaboh office, and she will inform NGOs/Agencies in Meulaboh about this situation and maybe talk to the JICS office there. From the BRR side, Saliza will contact Banda Aceh for a follow-up. I also heard that Oxfam may have planned to fix this bridge, and they have checked on the spot today. I will confirm this with Oxfam Calang.

I attach photos taken by ACF staff for your clear description of the damage. It is critical for Aceh Jaya, especially now that we hear about the fuel shortage in Calang and the need to get supplies from Meulaboh. The email sent on Mar 9, 2006 3:01 PM

Arwin Soelaksono - Disaster Response & reConstruction

BRR warns it may take over unfinished contracts

This is the time that every agency to realize that reconstruction in disaster area is not an easy thing. Many aspects and issues impeded the process along the way. Some of the NGOs are beaten up by the chief of BRR. It was written in the Jakarta Post newspaper.

One of UN body who works in reconstruction which its name is similar with us was heavily criticized. Funny thing is many people were confused with this similarity. When people asked us what was happened. We just told them…. “It’s not us. We are Habitat for Humanity. It is very different organization with the organization which described by the Jakarta Post.”

Below is the article from The Jakarta Post.

Duncan Wilson, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

Source: The Jakarta Post, 8 March 2006.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20060308.A02&irec=3

Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency for Aceh and Nias (BRR) chief Kuntoro Mangkusubroto has blasted non-governmental organizations, accusing some of dishonesty and a lack of professionalism, and threatened the agency would take over any projects that remain unfinished in June next year.

Kuntoro said some of the larger organizations had "lied" to their donors and the public about their progress, were beset by high overheads or divided by internal problems, and fixated with obtaining land for houses when most survivors wanted to return to their villages.

"One NGO took pictures claiming they had built 100 houses but they just built two houses. Another NGO built toilets but in some areas there was no water in them, how can professionals do that kind of thing?" Kuntoro said recently.

He singled out several NGOs for special criticism.

They included UN Habitat, which he accused of "being slow in some areas". He also alleged that CARE had often behaved duplicitously.

Kuntoro said the BRR would measure the NGOs' current performance against their pledges, so that donor countries could best target their funding.

"We are so proud of projects and groups like the Salvation Army for example, but when it comes to bigger organizations I am sad to say they're not as effective.

"They have too many overheads and I believe too many internal governance problems and I feel it is my duty to communicate that to donors and the NGO head offices.

"Usually the NGOs say 'can you give us land?', but that is not the (correct) approach when 90 percent of people will go back to their villages," Kuntoro said.

He said that any agencies that failed to deliver on their commitments by the middle of next year would be required to leave, and the BRR or more efficient NGOs would assume their work.

"We will now be asking the NGOs to review their current performance against their December pledges, and submit new numbers and projects.

"The consequences are severe, but I want to send a signal that we are serious here and this is not business as usual.

People have to work fast in these projects and I'm really serious about that."

Kuntoro's comments focused on the construction of housing, but BRR's Nias operations head William Sabander said Kuntoro intended to apply sanctions across the board.

"He has told me that we will ask for commitments from all agencies, which should come with an action plan, and if this does not meet the schedules we need to evaluate and get someone to take over things, or the BRR could assign another agency," William said.

The BRR, UN and Red Cross recently announced they had pushed back by several months their March target for moving people out of tents and into temporary shelters.

Only 235 out of the estimated 16,000 temporary shelters needed for the 70,000 Acehnese living under canvas have been completed since the program began in September.

About 12 percent of the around 120,000 new permanent homes required have been built.

While Kuntoro acknowledged his comments could create tensions between some NGOs and the BRR, Kuntoro said he hoped they and the performance review would encourage efficiency and transparency.

"We need the houses now, not at the end of the year. If the agencies say they have to scale back their pledge, fine, as long as they deliver the pledge.

"What I really worry about is philanthropists or donors' nasty surprise if they find out that something is untrue or not realistic," Kuntoro said.

UN Habitat project head Ian Hamilton said the organization may have been a little slow initially.

"Maybe we could have spent less time at the beginning talking and starting to build things but you always do much analysis at the start."

Hamilton said the organization had built 200 homes, which put them "in the top four or five organizations."

UN Habitat had agreed to construct 4,000 houses.

CARE's Aceh head Christophe Legrand said the company, with projects for this year worth US$30 million, was always transparent and professional.

"(Kuntoro's criticisms) may be referring to initial work in the emergency, but the standards we strive to reach are very high," Legrand said.

He said the company had 700 houses at various stages of construction, but not one had yet been completed.

Hamilton and Legrand said they were not troubled by the Aceh and Nias Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority's proposed review of non-government organizations, and enjoyed a positive working relationship with the organization and Kuntoro.