Mobilized Construction

Market Suggested Retail Price

$1,500.00

Distributors / Implementing Organizations

Mobilized Construction

Manufacturing/Building Method

Software development.

Intellectural Property Type

Open Source

User Provision Model

The software is obtained directly from the manufacturer.

Distributions to Date Status

Unknown

Design Specifications

Specifications :The software is used for road data collection and intelligence by use of a smartphone application. It also provides a project management software that enables creation and assignment of micro-contracts to local individuals for labor-based construction and maintenance. Road repairs are certified as complete by measuring road conditions again and wages are transferred to individuals via mobile payments like M-Pesa.

Technical Support

One option involves letting the manufacturer take care of any issues arising through an on-ground project manager. The cheaper option involves training a local road engineer to manage the project and he/she handles the issues as they arise. A 24/7 helpline is also available for any software related problems.^{Interview with representative}

Replacement Components

N/A

Lifecycle

Unspecified. Roads built by mobilized construction typically last longer than conventional dirt roads because they are more climate resilient. The most detrimental factor to road deterioration is heavy rains. Mobilized Construction's climate proofing mechanism includes weather forecasts which enable messages to be sent out to road maintenance supervisors before the wet season, such that rather than rebuilding roads, personnel must focus on clearing ditches and drainage. In this way, roads takes less damage when the rain comes because the ditches are cleared of grass. ^{Interview with representative}

Manufacturer Specified Performance Parameters

The most popular Performance Indicator is "meters of road built per day” combined with “road quality improvement”. The also measures road improvement over time. This implies that a road maintenance team will be judged based on how good their road is 1 year after repairs, 2 years of repairs etc. The manufacturer claims to have "many price Key Performance Indicators that can be chosen and designed with the government or donor agency."^{Interview with representative}

Vetted Performance Status

During testing with Shanti Uganda and Luwero County in Uganda, it was found that; -1 km of roads costs approximately $1,200-$1,300 compared to $14,000-$16,000 (World Bank procurement costs) -Traffic increased by 4000% -Traffic time reduced by 50% -Boda (motorcycle taxi) fares decreased by 50%^{Interview with representative}

Safety

Road construction materials can cause serious injury and protective equipment must be worn at all times

Complementary Technical Systems

None

Academic Research and References

Compliance with regulations

Yes, the organisation is regulated directly by the procurement laws and and indirectly by the labor laws in the country. There isn't any particular certification required as the organisation is a software company running a SaaS(software as a service model) and only sub-contracts the work to locals. Mobilized construction does not operate in areas where the subcontracting system could conflict with legal regulations. Roads are assessed based on the International Road Roughness Index developed by the World Bank^{Interview with representative}  

Other Information

None