Critical Review

Mohammed A. Al Thubaiti
SWCC


Objectives of this paper
To highlight the deficiency in the project planning and
specifications used presently .

Suggest Improvements .
Contribution of SWCC
Saline Water Corporations continued efforts to
augment desalination water production in the
Kingdom has resulted in immense contribution to this
technology. With the vast experience of constructing
mega desalination plants SWCC revolutionised this
technology to achieve highest cost benefit in terms of
both the capital cost and operation cost .As a result all
over the world desalination projects are implemented
following the experience of SWCC .



Contribution of SWCC

SWCC has contributed to desaliantion technology in
many ways .Some of the specific area of its
contributions are
-Standardisation of project specifications for MSF
,SWRO ,MED plants .
-Introducing new innovative material of construction.
-Introducing healthy competition amongst suppliers
of these plants at low cost and highest quality
Contribution of SWCC
-Developing the concept of IWPP and encouraging
private investors to participate in National
Development Projects .
-Implementing environmental protection measures in
desalination plants to reduce pollution.
-SWCC act as a training ground for International
desalination community .Engineers and technicians
previously employed by SWCC manage desalination
plants all around the world .

Need for improvement
Inspite of many contribution ,SWCC strives for
continuous self assessment and correction required to
improve the future performance .
This paper highlights the areas requiring review and
review and corrections to enhance the future services
by all the clients embarking on new desalination
projects .
Project Specification & Consultant

Consultant form an integral part of project
specification .
Consultant help client in
Carrying out feasibility study both technical and
financial feasibility of the project .
Carryout tender evaluation using value engineering
and recommend a cost effective proposal.
Site Supervision of Erection ,Testing & Commissioning




Criteria for Selection of Project
Consultant
Essential Qualities :
Wide experience in desalination process to be adopted
MSF/MED/SWRO.
Adequacy of well qualified and experienced manpower
in the filed of chemical/mechanical/piping
/electrical/I&C /cost engineering .
Having good data base .




Criteria for Selection of Project
Consultant
Having knowledge of the location of project .
Having knowledge on the customs and traditions of
the client .
Having knowledge on the local rules and regulations
of the country where project is executed .
Having adequate financial backup.
Proven record of integrity and unbiased judgment.
Defining the Project Scope
Desalination projects are planned to meet water
demand requirements of the region. Reasonable
projection of present and future demand should be
made to adequately size the plant .
Introducing changes after contract award will escalate
cost and delay. Hence project capacity and capabilities
should be well defined in consultation with the
National Planning Authorities .
Defining the Project Scope
Project done near existing plant should be well defined
with respect to battery limits of interfaces.
If power is derived from existing sources then the
system stability check should be done before initiating
the project .
Selection of Technology
Leading desalination technologies MED/MSF/RO
compete equally .Selection should be based on
availability of
Fuel /Power .
O&M knowledge of client .
Environmental regulations and effluent discharge.
Cost benefit analysis .
Energy Efficiency.

Project Specification

Specification should be Specific
Normally done by cutting and pasting old
specifications without relevance to project
requirements resulting in obsolete and impractical
specifications .
Over specifying than actual requirement escalates
cost and hence should avoided .Eg : Specifying API
standard instead of AWWA standard for valves in
water plants or specifying 20 % margin on pump and
motor capacities .
Project Specification

Standards referred should confirm to International
ISO standards .
Instead of mentioned the Standard Number its
specification class should be mentioned to avoid
ambiguity .
Ambiguous words like may be should be avoided .
Duplication of specification classes in various sections
should be avoided .All design criteria should be
specified in one chapter .
Project Specification
Specification should be written around a specific
suppliers product and should be applicable for
universal application.

Client Consultant Involvement
Project could be done by
Client superiority wherein all replies to contractor are
approved and issued by client .Consultant recommend
their comments for approval .eg : SCECO Projects .
Consultant superiority Consultant execute the project
as per spec and Client monitors the progress without
any direct involvement except approval of deviations
and variation cost items .
Client Consultant Involvement
Client and Consultant could work as a single team to
share the responsibilities .Under this method all
design review are done jointly with contractor by
consultant and client .All site inspections are carried
out jointly .
Client /Consultant /End user could also jointly involve
in critical project matters for joint approval through
MOM.
Updating Spec During Project
Execution
Areas where technology is fast changing like DCS,PLC
,Material Science etc., floating specification could be
adopted .However ,at the time of tendering limit on
year of adaptation of technology should be specified.
Modifying specification just to be on the top of
technology will lead to complication in terms of cost
and time .
Standardisation of Spec
Standardisation helps in
Centralising O&M spares and consumables .
Easy training of O&M team.
Reduce cost and time of project execution .
Ensure quality .
Standardisation of Spec
Standardisation does not permit modernisation
.Hence too much standardisation leads to quick
obsolesence .
Private Sector Involvement
Specifying end product quantity and quality results in
more flexibility for private sector investors to look for
products and contractors offering lowest cost and
quick execution of project .
It enables private investors to carryout investment
analysis with open mind without the constraints of
meeting client specification.
Private Sector Involvement
Specifying only the quantity and quality of end product
Could lead to inefficient process ,high energy
consumption, lack of pollution control if these parameters
are not well specified.
Hence client specification should include clauses related
to
Cost of producing water
Kwhr/Cu M output
Fuel Consumption/Cu M output
Contribution to green revolution
Usage of non sustainable source of energy .