USAID selected Tetra Tech to provide construction and quality oversight services for new and ongoing infrastructure projects in Ethiopia
Tetra Tech provides the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) architecture and engineering services (A-E) during construction to ensure facilities are built to the highest standard possible and can support long-term development objectives.
After more than 25 years of authoritarian rule, Ethiopia’s increasing population, unemployment rates, and food insecurity strain overexerted systems. To support USAID’s efforts to strengthen democracy, resilience, and prosperity, USAID selected Tetra Tech to provide construction and quality oversight services for new and ongoing infrastructure projects under two consecutive contracts, the Engineering Services and Construction Oversight (ESCO) Project and ESCO 2.
ESCO designed and delivered 17 health facilities and trained more than 50 engineers and logistics staff to support the construction oversight phase, monitor site progress, and ensure compliance in five regional locations in Ethiopia. Tetra Tech also provided USAID construction oversight and quality assurance for their WASH infrastructure projects managed by other implementing partners (IP). ESCO 2 will finish overseeing the warranty period for earlier construction and continue WASH construction oversight for other IPs.
Under the first ESCO contract, Tetra Tech provided oversight to health centers still under construction from the Ethiopia Health Infrastructure Project through 2019. The three-year program oversaw the completion of 17 new health centers, a large blood bank in Addis Ababa, and WASH facilities managed by other implementing partners.
Tetra Tech worked alongside Ethiopian engineers to evaluate options for groundwater wells and solar power in the health center designs, expanding access to sustainable clean water and energy resources. In addition, we secured building permits and performed utility relocation to connect remote health center sites to the electrical grid where possible. Throughout the project, our team incorporated strict quality assurance and control requirements to confirm that all designs complied with local and international building codes and standards. To ensure the local capacity to sustain these improvements, Tetra Tech trained construction contractors on best practices to guide higher-quality, on-schedule, and on-budget construction efforts.
Currently, we are in the second phase of the project, ESCO 2, and providing quality assurance services and technical support throughout various phases of the program cycle to support WASH infrastructure projects through 2022. To provide the client with regular updates on the progress of the construction projects, Tetra Tech is using a digital monitoring system to track and report it in real time. Through this work, our technical assistance ensures that USAID is delivering safe and sustainable infrastructure to the Government of Ethiopia. These facilities expand health service reach in rural areas, which will ultimately foster economic growth and support a rapidly growing, youthful population’s journey to self-reliance.
About Tetra Tech
Tetra Tech is a leading provider of consulting and engineering services worldwide. Based in Pasadena, California, Tera Tech is a diverse company, including individuals with expertise in science, research, engineering, construction, and information technology.