Overview of position

Background / Project description:

• Water resources management is a pressing issue in Yemen due to its arid climate & limited water availability. Yemen faces significant challenges in this regard, including limited agricultural productivity, high levels of malnutrition & vulnerability to natural disasters. With BMZ funding through the German Development Bank (KfW), our client in Yemen & KfW have established a partnership focused on enhancing water resources management & food security in the country. This collaboration aims to address the critical challenges faced by Yemen in these areas & contribute to sustainable development. In addition, KFW & our client in Yemen acknowledge the importance of addressing food security concerns in the country. To tackle these issues, KfW & our clients partnership focuses on promoting sustainable agricultural practices, supporting small scale farmers & strengthening local food systems. By enhancing agricultural productivity & ensuring access to nutritious food, these initiatives contribute to reducing hunger & poverty in Yemen.
• Recognizing the urgent need to address these challenges, KfW & our client have joined forces to implement an integrated water resources management project that aims to enhance the resilience of agriculture & food security in Yemen. The project "Integrated Water Resources Management to Enhance Resilience of Agriculture & Food Security (IWRM - ERA)" includes the construction & rehabilitation of water infrastructure to increase agricultural production, promoting access to markets & empowering women in agriculture value chain in Yemen. This first outcome of this 3 year project will be achieved by investing in new water harvesting infrastructure aimed to augment existing supplies to efficiently capture surface water as well as sustainable groundwater, in addition to contributing to the overall development of the agricultural value chain & market accessibility by rehabilitating farm market roads. The second outcome aims to improve water governance, by strengthening & supporting WUA's / water committees & NWRA in both Taiz & Lahj to ensure ownership, operation & maintenance of infrastructure & accountability. This is achieved first by analyzing their institutional capabilities in general based on a needs analysis to fulfil their mandate as well as through specific support for ensuring sustainable infrastructure, identifying the gaps & addressing those gaps including mechanisms for operational sustainability, financial, technical, social, environmental & institutional sustainability.
• The operational sustainability of irrigation systems relies heavily on the availability & functionality of heavy machinery. Equipment such as excavators, loaders, bulldozers & trucks play a vital role in essential operations including de-sedimentation, canal cleaning & embankment reinforcement. Additionally, mobile workshop trucks are crucial for minimizing downtime by enabling onsite repairs. Together, these machines ensure a cost effective, reliable & sustainable delivery of water for agricultural use. Historically, the Agriculture & Irrigation Office in Lahj maintained a robust fleet of over twenty heavy machinery units & trucks, which were actively used to support irrigation infrastructure in Tuban district & surrounding areas.
• These machines were instrumental in maintaining & rehabilitating irrigation structures. However, the socio political crisis in 2011 & the subsequent conflict in 2015 severely impacted operational budgets, leading to the deterioration & eventual non functionality of most of the fleet. Currently, only five machinery units remain in the office’s inventory, all of which are nonoperational due to mechanical failures & the lack of spare parts. This has significantly hindered the office’s ability to carry out routine maintenance activities. Without regular de-sedimentation & canal rehabilitation, the efficiency of water conveyance systems declines, resulting in reduced water availability for agricultural production. Furthermore, weakened canal embankments & malfunctioning hydraulic structures increase the risk of water loss, flooding & system failure. Given the strategic importance of these assets, the rehabilitation & repair of the remaining machinery is an urgent priority. Restoring their operational capacity will enable the Agriculture & Irrigation Office to effectively fulfill its mandate, enhance agricultural productivity & support the resilience of farming communities. To reach this end our client aims to engage a Mechanical Engineer to support the Agriculture & Irrigation Office in Lahj with inspection & evaluation of five machinery that can be repaired as per the initial assessment.

Objectives:

• The primary objective of this assignment is to inspect & evaluate five heavy machinery units used for irrigation maintenance, identify mechanical failures, determine required spare parts & recommend repair & maintenance measures to restore operational efficiency.

Scope of work:

• The Mechanical Engineer will conduct a thorough inspection & evaluation of the five machinery to identify failures & provide technical guidance throughout the assessment. A detailed technical assessment report will be prepared, outlining the causes of machine failures & specifying the necessary mechanical & electrical repairs, along with the required spare parts to restore full operational capacity & efficiency. Additionally, the consultant will be responsible for preparing technical specifications & tender documents, responding to bidder inquiries as requested by our client & ensuring compliance with design standards & transparency throughout the process.

Role objectives

Key tasks & responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Inspection & evaluation requirements:

• Collect inventory documents of the five machinery units from the Agriculture & Irrigation Office in Lahj including asset register listing, equipment details, model, serial number, purchase details, along with maintenance records, operating manuals, inspection checklists & financial documents such as invoices.
• Mobilize a fully equipped inspection team with necessary tools, lifting equipment, fuels & a mini movable workshop.
• Conduct premaintenance activities to enable inspection, such as replacement of oils, lubricants, coolant, seals & worn out bearings.
• Perform detailed inspections to identify mechanical, hydraulic & electrical faults, including performance monitoring & assessment of vibration, noise & heat. Evaluate findings to determine components requiring repair or replacement.
• Survey the local market for spare parts availability, ensuring compatibility with technical specifications, brand standards & cost effectiveness.
• Provide full feasibility study to determine whether continued maintenance of existing machinery or purchasing new machinery is the most cost effective & sustainable option, considering financial, operational & strategic factors.

Procurement strategy & tender documentation:

• Develop procurement documents ensuring transparency, competitiveness & efficiency in acquiring the spare parts.
• Ensure compliance with our clients procurement standards.
• Provide recommendations on potential vendors, suppliers & manufacturing firms.

Cost estimation & budget planning:

• Conduct cost analysis for procurement, installation & maintenance / repair.
• Provide cost estimation for the procurement of spare parts as well as the repair & maintenance cost in line with the markets prices & delivery requirements.

Risk assessment & mitigation strategy:

• Identify operational risks related to equipment procurement, installation & future maintenance.
• Develop risk mitigation plans, including safety protocols, regulatory approvals & contingency planning.
• Ensure alignment with environmental & regulatory frameworks.

Implementation plan & stakeholder coordination:

• Define project timelines, milestones & execution schedules with most suitable locations for maintenance & installation of spare parts.
• Develop a roadmap for maintenance, repair, installation, integration & operational testing.

Stakeholders engagement:

• Agriculture & Irrigation Office in Lahj.

Machineries locations:

• The five machineries are located across multiple sites within Tuban district, Lahj. Since the machines are nonoperational, the consultant is required to carry out inspections & assessments onsite, ensuring that all necessary tools & equipment are transported to each location. The machineries information & current location’s coordinates are listed in the below table.

S. No.

Type of the vehicle

Model & year

Location

Coordinates

Latitude

Longiture

1

Crawler Excavator – Caterpillar

320CL

Almaghafah, Tuban, Lahj

13.050185°

44.942900°

2

Wheel Loader Caterpillar

950G, 2001

Kokaban, Tuban, Lahj

13.106458°

44.865453°

3

Bulldozer Caterpillar (Brazil)

D6E, 1990

Alhabeel, Tuban, Lahj

13.118858°

44.831669°

4

Bulldozer Caterpillar

D6R XR, 2002

Ala’alwanh, Tuban, Lahj

13.089864°

44.898822°

5

Wheel Excavator

TEREX, 2009

Alhabeel, Tuban, Lahj

13.120370°

44.828713°

Key deliverables:

• Inception report summarizing machineries’ documents review findings, methodology for the assignment & the work plan.
• Detailed technical assessment report outlining the condition of machinery, causes of failures & recommended repairs.
• Technical specifications for the required spare parts & repair work, compatibility & standards.
• Cost estimation for procurement of spare parts & repair works.
• Risk assessment & mitigation strategies addressing potential operational, technical & safety risks.
• Detailed implementation plan for rehabilitation, maintenance & operation of machinery.
• Feasibility study to assess whether it is more practical to continue maintenance the current machinery or purchase new machinery.
• Tender documents prepared in compliance with procurement & technical standards.

Project reporting

The Mechanical Engineer will work under the direct supervision of the IWMR - ERA Project Manager in the Aden sub office. The consultant will provide regular updates to Project Manager, including progress reports, key findings & strategic recommendations throughout the consultancy period to ensure effective project execution.

Key competencies

• A university degree in mechanical engineering or related field is required.
• Minimum of seven years of experience in heavy machinery mechanical engineering assignment.
• Excellent spoken & written English & Arabic communication skills are required.
• Ability to work independently & provide technical support & advice.

Team management

Regular progress updates & consultations will be conducted with the Project Manager & relevant stakeholders.

Further information

Timeline:

• The proposed work is expected to be completed within 4 weeks.
• Timeline is subject to changes if required based on progress & procurement processes.

Payment schedule:

• Each deliverable will be subject to review & approval by our client & relevant stakeholders which must be aligned with tasks & deliverables requirement stated in table 2. The consultant must ensure that the quality of all deliverables aligns with national / international best practices & our clients standards. Any revisions or additional information requested during the review process must be incorporated within agreed timelines.

Deliverables:

Deliverables / Outputs

Estimated duration

Target due dates

Payment

To be reviewed & approved by

Submittion of inception report summarizing documents review findings, assignment methodology & work plan.

Conduct the premaintenance to run the machinery

7 days

27 September 2025

20% of total payment

Project Manager

Conduct comprehensive inspections.

Submittion of daft technical assessment report.

10 days

8 Oct. 2025

30% of total payment

Submittion of fesability study report

4 days

12 Oct. 2025

20% of total payment

Submittion of final technical assessment report, specifications, cost estimation, tender documents & other key deliverables.

7 days

18 Oct. 2025

30% of total payment

The estimated duration to complete represents the estimated working days for the achievement of the tasks. It is the responsibility of the staff to ensure timely achievement of relevant tasks within the timeframe.

Scope of price proposal & schedule of payments:

• Percentage payment according to table 2.
• The Project Manager will approve the completion of milestones & deliverables before each payment (4 installments).