CDS provides technical advisory services for infrastructure development, management and maintenance. All projects are managed by senior infrastructure experts. Technical experts drawn from an extensive network of professionals and specialists from Africa and other parts of the world are contracted from time to time for specific projects. The profiles of two of our senior project managers and consultants are given below.
Richard Rawson
Richard has a BSc Eng (Hons) (University of Cape Town 1967), is a past Chairman of Zimbabwe Association of Consulting Engineers and a former board member of Scott Wilson International.
He has 50 years of experience in various countries in Southern Africa on all sizes of infrastructure work including rural roads, railways, bridges, airports, township developments, emergency repairs, industrial infrastructure projects, and rural electrification, both in the public and private sector, several being complex works requiring large multi disciplinary teams.
Richard currently works as a consultant predominantly in the following fields:
- Preparation of bidding and contract documents using all four current FIDIC Conditions of Contract, including traditional contractor consultant and design/build contracts
- Evaluation of tenders, negotiations with bidders and contract preparation.
- Monitoring of projects in the Roads and Energy Sectors funded by donor agencies. Services cover the monitoring of projects through the process of funding, design, tendering and construction, the monitoring of project progress including the funders project disbursement projections. Inputs include appraisal of procurement documentation, advice on procurement, advice on the handling of potential and actual claims during construction, and assistance with the appraisal of those designs for which he has the expertise.
- Advice on difficulties encountered during construction, and dealing with claims and contractual disputes.
- Dispute Resolution
- Management of supervision of rural road and bridge construction projects, including bridge repair work, emergency repairs, contract administration, quality overview and advice to Clients in dealing with contractual difficulties
- Advice on appropriate standards for rural road improvement and development
- Training and mentoring of Engineers carrying out design and supervision of civil projects.
During his career, Richard has had significant exposure to the administration of engineering contracts in various countries in Africa (south of the equator), with experience in the interpretation of contract conditions in respect of the many difficulties that can be encountered during the execution of infrastructure projects.
Robert Geddes
Rob Geddes has a Masters degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Natal. He is a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers (UK) and the Zimbabwe Institution of Engineers. He is based in Harare, Zimbabwe, but has worked in several other countries in sub-Sahara Africa including Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Swaziland and South Sudan. Most of his work has been with international donor agencies. He has more than 30 years of experience.
Rob is a consultant to government agencies, donors and non-governmental organisations for the identification, design, implementation, evaluation and audit of road improvement and maintenance programmes. He carried out research on road design standards and road asset management practices under the UK-funded Research for Community Access Partnership and Africa Community Access Programme from 2008 to 2020. He has been instrumental in the design and implementation of technical assistance and training for road sector agencies for policy and institutional reform and capacity building. He is current part of a team providing due diligence services for the Millennium Challenge Corporation for the development and implementation of their second Compacts for Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. He has contributed to the development and maintenance of roads and other infrastructure in game reserves and other ecologically sensitive areas, and has provided advice to government ministries and donors on all aspects of the implementation of programmes for community public works, disaster management and post conflict recovery. He is an experienced project manager and team leader.