In brief
- A joint venture agreement names roles, but only dated records show who has actually delivered that kind of work.
- Each joint venture partner's role should be evidenced separately rather than as a group, so the client can see who controls each part of the work.
- Walk a recent site and ask the contracting authority what records it can share before proceeding.
Contents
A joint venture can look strong on paper while the role that matters in Berbera sits with a partner who has never delivered it. Check joint venture roles competency risks by asking each partner for dated evidence of the exact role it will carry out, then verifying that evidence against records and a recent site. A signed agreement names responsibilities. It does not prove capability, and unclear delivery responsibility is where claims go unchecked.
What does the joint venture agreement actually say about each role?
The agreement usually lists parties and shares, not the work each partner controls. Ask for a schedule that names who leads design, concrete works, steel fixing, drainage, electrical and finishing, and who signs off each stage. Where the wording says the partners will "jointly execute", responsibility can stay unresolved when a defect appears. Ask each partner to confirm in writing which role it holds and which staff, plant and records it brings to that role. For a Berbera build, ask who controls batching, curing and the daily pour record, and ask the engineer how the project specification addresses the site's exposure conditions. If the answer is a group name rather than a person, the role is not yet allocated.
What evidence proves a partner has done that role before?
A partner's evidence must match the role, not the company's general history. Ask for a list of projects with dates, the scope that partner held, the client or engineer contact, and the inspection records it produced for its own work. Then test the evidence: request a concrete cube result the partner signed, a steel fixing inspection sheet, or a drainage test it supervised. Confirm the certificate or test record carries the project name and date. Ask the contracting authority or relevant local office what project records it can share, and whether the named partner appears. Where the work was done elsewhere in Somaliland or abroad, ask the engineer what the project specification requires for exposure in the site's environment. Push for evidence sufficient to the site's exposure conditions, and confirm the project's specification with the engineer.
How do you detect unverified capability before work starts?
Set the test before mobilisation. Walk a recent site the partner claims, and look at what is visible: formwork condition, cover to reinforcement on exposed edges, joint spacing, drainage falls and how materials are stored. Ask the site supervisor who ordered the last concrete pour and who recorded it. Compare that answer with the role the partner claims. Ask two suppliers whether they have supplied that partner and for what, in writing. Check whether the partner can name the laboratory it used and produce the report. Where a partner cannot produce records for its own scope, treat the capability as unverified and require a supervised trial section before the main work starts. The contract should state what happens if the evidence does not appear; check what your contract allows before you proceed.
What to do next
Write one page listing each joint venture role, the partner that holds it, and the evidence seen for that role. Send it to both partners and ask them to correct it in writing within a set number of days. Take the corrected page to the contracting authority or relevant local office and ask what records it can share on the named partners. Close the evidence gaps, or require a supervised trial section before the work proceeds.
Frequently asked questions
Should a client accept a joint venture partner's word on experience?
No. Ask for dated records tied to the role the partner will hold, such as inspection sheets, test reports or a named engineer who can confirm the work. A verbal claim cannot be checked later when a defect appears.
What if one partner cannot show records for its role?
Treat the capability as unverified and either reassign the role in the agreement or require a supervised trial section before the main work starts. Check what the contract allows before you agree to any change.
Local reporting: this article is written for building work in Berbera and Somaliland. Ground conditions, prices and rules differ between places; confirm the details for your own site.