Profile
Mr. Lear has over forty years of all-round experience in the construction industry having been employed as a Consulting Engineer, Practice Manager, Client’s Representative, Technical Assistant, Resident Engineer and Contractor. This has afforded him the insight to allow a balanced view on all technical, financial and contractual aspects of project development and implementation on projects as varied as road and bridge construction, project administration, technical assistance, consulting, urban infrastructure, coal fired power stations, vanadium processing plants, industrial developments, commercial buildings and rural water reticulation.
His experience with and exposure to the some twelve international Donor and Financing organisations and contractors of many different nationalities, his command of the Portuguese language, his knowledge of Mozambique, Botswana, Swaziland, Ghana, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Sierra Leone and South Africa as well as his direct design and construction experience with bridges, roads, airports, reinforced concrete, structural steel and industrial developments make Mr. Lear a valuable asset to any African project.
Career Overview
2012 – Pres Resident Representative – ACWA Power Moatize- Mozambique
2010 – 2012 Resident Engineer – Egis Intl – Accra Ghana
2006 – 2010 Project Director/ Manager J. Burrow Ltd
2005 – 2006 Contract Administration Specialist – SMEC Intl. – Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
2006 – 2005 Freelance Consultant – Maputo, Mozambique
2005 – 2004 Resident Engineer – BCEOM – Bole. Ghana
2004 – 1994 Contract Admin Specialist to National Roads Dept – Maputo Moçambique
1994 – 1990 Managing Director – Burrow Binnie Swaziland & Botswana Ltd
1990 – 1989 Projects Manager – Burrow Binnie Botswana Ltd – Gaborone Botswana
1989 – 1988 Resident Engineer – Burrow Binnie Botswana Ltd – Francistown Botswana
1988 – 1986 Design Engineer – Civemech Consulting Engineers – South Africa
1986 – 1982 Site Engineer – Gillis Mason Construction – South Africa
1981 – 1977 B Sc Civil Engineering Degree – University of Natal South Africa
1976 – 1974 Trainee Civil Technician Zakrzewski Associates Incorporated – South Africa
Career Details
12/12 – Pres
Resident Development Manager, ACWA Power Moatize, Mozambique
Developer’s representative for the pre financial close activities for the Moatize coal fired mine mouth power station, in Tete Mozambique. Responsible for local logistics and liaison with government authorities, principal project partners and obtaining the numerous project authorisations, concession and licenses. (USD1bN)
06/10- 11/12
Resident Engineer, Egis/BCEOM, Accra Ghana
Responsible for supervision of the widening of an existing 150m road over river bridge and the construction of a new double span road over rail bridge, in precast and cast in situ reinforced concrete as part of a Pilot Bus Rapid Transit infrastructure project. The project was completed on time and within budget. (USD10M)
06/07 – 06/10
Project Director, J Burrow Ltd, Maputo, Mozambique
Responsible for contract administration of J Burrow’s ongoing road contracts in Mozambique (1), Tanzania (5), Zanzibar (3), Sierra Leone (1), Uganda (2) and Ethiopia (4). In all cases he acted as “The Engineer”, Claim Specialist, Responsible Director and Personnel Manager. All of these projects included small single and double span reinforced concrete road-over-river bridges and box culverts. (Aggregate USD 500M)
05/06 – 05/07
Employed by SMEC Intl. as Contract Administration Specialist on a Technical Assistance project to the Ethiopian Roads Authority responsible for:
Contract Administration training of ERA engineers
Preparation of a Contract Administration Manual
Assistance with administration of on going projects
Dispute and Claims Resolution
12/05 – 05/06
Freelance Consultant in Maputo, Mozambique undertaking
Contracted by Aurecon to Coordinate the demining activities for Vale’s coal concession in Moatize and along the route of its proposed 1000 km railway line to Nacala via Malawi.
Coordination of the design of two urban road projects – SEED/SSI
Contractual Assistance and Claims Consultant – Foreign Contractor
12/05 – 11/04
Employed by BCEOM as Resident Engineer on a World Bank funded 53km gravel to surfaced road upgrading project in Ghana.
The remoteness of this project and unsophisticated nature of the Contractor presented its own management and contractual difficulties. Mr Lear was called to assist with the completion of the project and resolution of problems and claims during the final year of the project. Structures on this project were limited to small reinforced box and pipe culverts. (USD 15M)
11/04 – 9/1994
Originally assigned to the National Roads Administration (ANE) (previously the National Directorate of Roads and Bridges) for a six-month contract this was eventually extended to ten years.
During this period Mr Lear was directly responsible for the management of the implementation of some 90 Road and Bridge Construction and Supervision Contracts funded by IDA, AfDB, EU, ASDI and USAID. Mr Lear’s position was funded by the World Bank, ASDI and African Development Bank at different times of the 10 year duration.
Mr Lear acted as the ANE representative for the overall management of the many bridges associated with the rehabilitation of the roads during this period. The more notable bridges constructed and or rehabilitated were those between Inchope and Caia, the Pungwe River Bridge and the Save River Bridge
In addition to Mr Lear’s duties in the area of project development and implementation (Aggregate USD 600M), he was also responsible for the following:
Evaluation and resolution of construction related claims
Acting as the Client’s representative and coordinator for an international arbitration
Participating in and advising on contractual negotiations
Preparation of standard contract formats for use on construction, supervision and procurement contracts
Preparation of a contract administration manual
Preparation of standard reporting formats
Preparation of project financial monitoring modules
Presentation of educational project management seminars
Presentation of educational contractual interpretation seminars
Development of design criteria for a new financial management system
Assisting in the development of ANE’s ROADS III USD1.7bN ten year road sector programme
Participation in the preparation of an environmental impact assessment for ANE’s ROADS III project.
Participation in the development and implementation of HIV/AIDS, Gender, Poverty Alleviation and Local Contractor Development programmes in ANE construction projects.
Acting as Team Leader for a Technical Assistance Programme for a two year period, including the control and preparation of monthly project accounting including cash book, profit and loss and balance sheet.
1994 – 1990
Employed by Burrow Binnie Ltd. as Managing Director, first in their Consulting Civil Engineering Botswana practice and then in their Swaziland practice. (Aggregate T/O USD 25M)
A delay in the implementation of a 25 contract World Bank funded infrastructure development project, in Swaziland during 1994, permitted the assignment of Mr Lear to the Mozambican position described above.
In the position of Managing Director of these two companies Mr Lear was fully accountable for all aspects of the companies and answerable to the Board of the holding company. These responsibilities included:
• Financial Management
• Personnel Management of a staff of approximately 40.
• Technical and Professional Performance
• Technical and Professional Liability
• Client Liaison
In addition to these management functions Mr Lear also undertook a number pure Engineering functions on the following types of projects:
• Concrete Road over River Bridge construction (300m) and widening
• Civil and military infrastructure developments
• Airport runway, lighting and ancillary work upgrading
• Multistory office block contracts
• Office and industrial park complexes
• Road construction contracts (4)
• Rural Water reticulation contracts
1990 – 1989
Employed by Burrow Binnie Botswana Ltd as Contracts Engineer responsible for the coordination and control of design teams and personnel, for the implementation of projects and for the development of an in-house quality assurance system, which included:
• Military infrastructure developments.
• Industrial developments
• Civil infrastructure development.
• Road construction projects
1989 – 1988
Employed by Burrow Binnie Botswana Ltd as Resident Engineer on the Francistown Abattoir project. This civil works project entailed the complete construction of the various drainage systems, structure, super structure, cold stores, freezer rooms, rendering plant and ancillary laboratories, kitchens, dining rooms, change rooms, offices, guard house etc.
Responsibilities on site entailed full technical control of all civil works, financial control and measurement for payment purposes, control survey and setting out and co-ordination of design drawings supplied by designers from Botswana, South Africa and Australia. This project employed approximately ten independent contractors and although not completed within time was completed substantially within budget.
1988 -1986
Seconded to Civemech Consulting Engineers in Johannesburg, South Africa. Responsibilities included the preparation of tender documentation, invitation and award of contracts, the structural design of a number of concrete and steel structures and the supervision of their construction. This included the reinforced concrete detailing for a number of bridges destroyed in Swaziland by a cyclone, the structural design and detailing of a number of steel structures and concrete water retaining structures on the Kendal coal fired power station in South Africa. All designs were subject to full quality assurance control.
1986 – 1982
Employed by Gillis Mason Construction Pty Ltd of Johannesburg South Africa. Responsible for the management and control of construction activities on a number of industrial development projects in the retail, mining and power sectors including the Arnot and Lethaba coal fired power station in South Africa. On Arnot he was responsible for the construction of steel fly ash slurry pipelines, polypropylene flue gas scrubbing pipelines and process plant, waste cooling water retention dams and stormwater reticulation. On the Lethaba power station the concrete boiler house structures were slip formed and he was responsible for the night time supervision and inclusion of some 1500 built in items. During this period he was also responsible for the construction of a Bulk coal storage and handling plant, fresh produce market extension and underground winder station foundations.
1981 – 1977
Attended the University of Natal (South Africa) reading for a B Sc Civil Engineering Degree. During this period Mr Lear worked for Kobar Mining, a construction contractor where he was responsible for the supervision and control of the construction of earthworks, slimes dams and concrete structures.
1976 – 1974
Employed by Zakrzewski Associates Incorporated of Durban South Africa, a firm of consulting engineers. During which time he attended the Durban Technikon where he obtained a National Diploma in Civil Engineering.
Responsibilities during this period included preparation of reinforced concrete details and schedules, basic reinforced concrete design for stair cases etc., and assistant resident engineer on two large slip formed reinforced concrete silo developments.
Languages
Language/Read/Write/Speak
English Good Good Good
Portuguese Good Fair Good
Afrikaans Good Fair Good
