BAGHDAD, Iraq – The beginning of the school year is a big deal for most kids; new clothes, new school supplies, new teachers and books, and even new schools sometimes.427 Iraqi boys and girls in the Khadra muhalla (neighborhood) will attend a “new” school, the Al Warkaa Primary School, when school starts Sept. 15.

 Lt. Col. Christopher Martin, commander of the 91st Engineer Battalion (Task Force 91), conducted a walk through and Quality Assurance Quality Control (QAQC) tour of the school with contractor Abbas Abdullah, of the Thaghir Al-Iraq Company, and the headmaster of the school, Fadhila Farhan on Aug.10. They were joined by Jabbar Shebeb, head of the Youth and Sports Committee of the Baghdad Provincial Council and member of the education committee. The committee is made up of Neighborhood Council (NC) members from the six neighborhoods in TF 91’s sector.

 Capt. Brett Smithley, a civil affairs officer with the  91st Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and Sgt. Sandra Lee, civil affairs specialist, 425th Civil Affairs Battalion, work closely with the education committee, assisting with the funding process for school projects prioritized by the Iraqis. The NCs and education committee were asked to prioritize school needs by the amount of work required and the number of students attending, with priority going to the schools with the greatest number of students. Not every school can be renovated, but TF 91 is doing its best to spread the work around their area of responsibility to those schools most in need, Smithley said.

Smithley and Lee make the initial assessments on projects selected for funding under the Commanders Emergency Relief Program (CERP). The TF 91 S5, in conjunction with the CA teams, submitted requests for 131 CERP projects in the past four months. “TF 91 to date has completed roughly 92 projects with a dollar amount right around $1.3 million and we’re working with projects worth another $1 million – for a total of almost $2.5 million,” Smithley said.

 Al Warkaa School is TF 91’s only current school project in Khadra, a predominantly Sunni, middle-class neighborhood, where schools are generally in pretty good repair, Smithley said. Other schools in some of the Shia neighborhoods are really neglected, he added. The battalion’s companies have visited each of the schools in their assigned neighborhoods, helping provide input on the projects.“The contractors we work with are the best in northwest Baghdad, as far as quality and reliability of work,” Smithley said. ”I have five local contractors I really respect and know that if there’s something I need done, I can give it to one of these 5 contractors and they will get the work done.”

 Projects are opened up for public bidding. There are about fifty local contractors that submit bids on various projects to TF 91. There are roughly ten contractors that will bid on a particular project. The top three bids are submitted to the brigade for approval. Smithley looks for three things when he receives a  bid; price, reliability and the work that the contractor has done in the past, and whether the contractor has included details specified in the project are all important factors. Once the money is approved, the contract is awarded to whichever contractor is selected.  A typical school project; from the initial assessment, to releasing bids, to final inspection, takes several months.

 In his final walkthrough, Martin was looking for details; was electricity working, the quality of painting, cleanup and the caulking between the tiles on the roof.Through his translator, Martin was able to relay additional instructions to the contractor about finishing touches as he walked through classrooms, restrooms, courtyard and up on the roof. There is still time before the gates swing open on the first day of school for any last-minute touchups. Freshly painted walls, in bright, cheerful colors, will welcome the children to their classrooms on their first day of school.“We are very fortunate that all of the schools that we’ve been able to rebuild have good contractors that always try to do the best job possible.”  Martin said