Dennis OHIKHENA

• Project Strategy & Execution: Lead the planning and execution of a diversified infrastructure portfolio, ensuring all scope definitions, sequencing, and resource allocations align with the 5-year corporate roadmap.
• Provide leadership and direction to multi-disciplinary engineering and construction team from project initiation to completion, whilst ensuring adherence and alignment with project objectives, contracting strategy, technical requirements, and decision gates, and in line with schedule, budget, and quality standards.
• Oversee the preparation and endorsement of Technical Evaluation Models (TEM) and ensure robustness of technical bid evaluations while Coordinating and leading tender clarification meetings with support from technical disciplines, Contracts & Procurement team, while ensuring the completion of all technical bid evaluations in line with project timelines and qualify bidders for financial evaluation
• Financial & Cost Control: Direct a $700M+ CAPEX portfolio, implementing cost-control measures that reduced project variance by 12% across five major sites.
• Optimized cost estimation and major projects’ financial proposals through technical calculations, reducing final project costs by over 10%.
• Managed project budgets, procurement processes, and resource allocation to optimize cost-effectiveness.
• Implemented advanced cost-tracking and forecasting models, improving budget accuracy by 15% and reducing financial variance by 10% across a 5-year project lifecycle.
• Negotiated key engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contracts valued at over $150M+, achieving an average 12% reduction in projected costs without compromising safety standards or project scope.
• Stakeholder Interface: Serve as the primary point of contact for government authorities, consultants, and subcontractors, facilitating high-level decision-making and transparency.
• Coordinated with stakeholders, contractors, and suppliers to streamline project workflows and mitigate risks.
• Facilitate effective stakeholder engagement through regular progress reporting and workshops, ensuring alignment on project goals and swift resolution of issues, while meeting business need.
• Technical Oversight: Coordinate 30/60/90% design reviews (PDMS/E3D), freezing designs to ensure safety, operational, and maintenance requirements are met before site mobilization.
• Lead engineering design assurance processes such as HAZID, Design Reviews, HAZOP, Constructability reviews, Model Reviews, and ensure all recommended actions are recorded, report issued, and actions recorded in tracking register, tracked, and closed out.
• Validate and reconcile Take-Offs derived from 3D models with disciplines and 3D model administrators to ensure no item is missed. Orchestrate surplus checking with site material coordinator and ensure team implement in MTO list, thereby ensuring the utilization of surplus materials and cost savings.
• Contract Negotiation: Successfully negotiated technical and commercial terms for major oil and gas and infrastructure works, achieving over 12% reduction in initial bid prices.
• Material Tracking Optimization: Spearheaded the development of a Material Tracking and Procurement Register (MPTR), reclaiming $2.5M in surplus materials and preventing procurement delays.
• Process Improvement: Introduced standardized Project Management Plans (PMP) that improved reporting accuracy and accelerated design approval timelines by 15%.
• Risk, Safety, and Compliance Management: Enforce adherence to project safety procedures, risk controls, and regulatory requirements, while Identifying project risks related to schedule, quality, resources, or commercial exposure, and contribute to mitigation planning and documentation.
• Ensure project activities comply with statutory regulations, contractual terms, and organizational governance frameworks.

Other Achievement:

• Responsible for supporting and leading the preparation of an optimized and cost effective Proposal preparation up to project award, planning, coordination, execution, monitoring, and delivery up to to handover. This includes scope management, scheduling, cost control, stakeholder coordination, risk management, quality oversight, and ensuring alignment with project and organizational
  objectives.
• Track project costs, commitments, and cash flow to maintain alignment with approved budgets, while monitoring procurement timelines for materials, equipment, and subcontracted works that impact project delivery.
• Provide input for variations, claims, extensions of time, and commercial assessments, while ensuring subcontractors and suppliers meet their technical, commercial, and schedule obligations.
• Oversee daily project execution activities, ensuring progress aligns with approved plans, schedules, and specifications., while tracking critical parts and key milestones ensuring biweekly forecast and look ahead are in place.
• Resolve or escalate RFIs, execution challenges, and technical issues that may impact timelines or quality. while Monitoring manpower and equipment allocations, budget and resource utilization to maintain productivity and ensure schedule is on track.
• Review disciplines and other project documents, drawings, and requirements to identify gaps, constraints, or risks
  affecting execution, and provide comments for update.
• Spearhead and contribute to Value Engineering and optimization discussions to enhance efficiency and control of project costs.
• Assist with preparing cost estimation, budgets and cost forecasts, lead project financial reviews and project execution plans, while governing effective project lifecycle management.

• Operational Leadership: Managed day-to-day operations for heavy civil and mechanical projects, focusing on lean principles to enhance field productivity.
• Supply Chain & Logistics: Overhauled procurement timelines for critical long-lead items, ensuring 98% on-time delivery for remote site materials.
• Safety & Compliance: Enforced strict adherence to project safety procedures (HSE), resulting in zero Lost Time Injuries (LTI) across 500,000+ man-hours.
• Cost Reduction Initiative: Achieved a 30% reduction in operational overhead by restructuring vendor contracts and optimizing equipment utilization rates.

Other Achievements:

• Developed long-term plans, implemented new policies, and created strategies to align with company goals.
• Analyzed and optimized daily operations, implemented quality control standards, and identified and resolved inefficiencies.
• Prepared operations budgets, analyzed expenditures, and oversaw financial reports and controls to ensure profitability.
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to ensure compliance with regulatory standards and industry best practices throughout operations and project lifecycles.
• Established and maintained effective communication channels among project and operations stakeholders to facilitate timely decision-making and conflict resolution
• Developed and implemented daily operations plans, team assignment, strategies development while managing daily operations activities and aligning processes to achieve a high-performance standard and meet established company monthly and annual targets.
• Ensured safe and efficient operations while enhancing procedures and principles, information flow, business processes, continuous improvement, budget allocation, market survey, competitors’ analysis, and forecasting.
• Managed and directed projects activities from project initiation thorough project closeout and hand over to operations, including well head platform fabrication and installation, and majorly civil structural and electrical works.

• Lifecycle Management: Managed the full project lifecycle from FEED (Front-End Engineering Design) through to mechanical completion and final handover.
• Risk Mitigation: Identified critical path risks related to local community interference and material shortages, developing contingency plans that saved 4 weeks of schedule delay.
• Contract Administration: Managed variations, claims, and extensions of time (EoT), ensuring all commercial assessments were documented for client audit.
• 450km Pipeline Infrastructure: Delivered a high-capacity pipeline project 3 weeks ahead of schedule and 4% under the $85M budget.

Other Achievements:

• Assisted the Project Manager in coordinating multi-disciplinary engineering and construction activities, ensuring integration and interface management among various project phases and teams.
• Monitored and controlled project schedules, costs, and resources using advanced project control techniques and software, enabling timely and within-budget project delivery.
• Facilitated effective communication and coordination between contractors, suppliers, and project stakeholders to address interface issues and promote seamless collaboration.
• Conducted risk assessments and implemented mitigation strategies related to project interfaces, minimizing potential delays and technical conflicts.
• Prepared detailed project progress reports, dashboards, and documentation to support project performance analysis and decision- making processes.
• Supported contract administration and procurement activities by reviewing scope, deliverables, and compliance requirements to maintain quality standards and contractual obligations.
• Led the development and implementation of interface management plans to coordinate project activities across multidisciplinary teams and ensure seamless integration of engineering and construction phases.

• Leadership & Coordination: Led mechanical and piping engineering projects, ensuring compliance with design specifications and industry standards.
• Oversaw quality assurance and quality control processes for mechanical and piping systems to ensure operational reliability.
• Collaborated with multidisciplinary teams to optimize project workflows and resolve technical challenges in piping design and construction.
• Managed project schedules and coordinated mechanical and piping installation activities to meet critical deadlines.
• Procurement & Material Tracking: Managed end-to-end expediting and tracking for all mechanical and piping bulk materials highlighting priorities to procurement team for expediting speedy delivery to site.
• Validate and reconcile material take-offs from 3D models, assess model and library reliability, and support air vs. sea freight decision making based on site requirement.
• Identify piping material gaps, coordinate with procurement and workshop fabrication team, validate 3D model accuracy, and guide logistics decisions based on site requirement.
• Supervised procurement and vendor management for piping materials and mechanical equipment, negotiating contracts to reduce costs.
• Managed project budgets, procurement, and resource allocation, optimizing cost-effectiveness and fostering strong vendor relationships.
• HSE & Stakeholder Management & Engagement: Implemented health, safety, and environmental protocols on project sites to maintain compliance and reduce safety incidents.
• Coordinated with stakeholders, contractors, and suppliers to streamline project · workflows and mitigate risks in large-scale engineering projects.
• Directed cross-functional and multicultural teams in executing engineering design modifications and mechanical system integrations to enhance project outcomes.
• Led multi-disciplinary engineering and construction projects, ensuring adherence to schedule, budget, and quality standards across all phases.

Other Achievements:

• Developed and enforced stringent inspection protocols and commissioning procedures for mechanical and piping systems to ensure compliance with industry regulatory standards.
• Mentored and led engineering teams, promoting safety standards and continuous technical skill development to enhance project delivery.
• Spearheaded contract negotiations and procurement strategies to secure high-quality materials and services, ensuring project requirements were met efficiently.
• Managed, and coordinated all mechanical and piping installation activities on site while managing project activities across all phases of the project lifecycle for the installation and commissioning of piping systems and storage tanks.
• Implemented innovative project delivery methods to enhance timeline efficiency and resource utilization in large-scale mechanical and piping engineering projects.
• Directed on-site mechanical and piping installation crews, ensuring alignment with safety protocols and technical specifications during project lifecycle phases.
• Conducted rigorous technical reviews of mechanical and piping engineering deliverables to identify and resolve potential design conflicts prior to construction.
• Implemented continuous improvement initiatives in piping fabrication and mechanical assembly processes, resulting in increased efficiency and reduced waste throughout projects.
• Conducted detailed review and approval of mechanical and piping engineering deliverables, ensuring alignment with client specifications and regulatory codes.
• Supervised the testing, commissioning, and start-up phases of mechanical and piping systems to guarantee operational readiness and efficiency.
• Managed the interface between engineering, procurement, and construction teams to ensure seamless project delivery and timely resolution of technical issues.

• Supervised site installation of mechanical, piping, and structural components for civil infrastructure and industrial plants.
• Managed site crews of up to 50+ technicians, ensuring work was completed as per drawings and quality specifications.
• Coordinated with QA/QC inspectors to clear non-conformance reports (NCRs) and finalize "As-Built" documentation.
• Implemented continuous improvement initiatives in piping fabrication and mechanical assembly processes, resulting in increased efficiency and reduced waste throughout projects.
• Supervised the testing, commissioning, and start-up phases of mechanical and piping systems to guarantee operational readiness and efficiency.
• Support coordination between internal teams, consultants, contractors, and clients to maintain alignment on deliverables and expectations.
• Facilitate communication across all project interfaces, ensuring issues are addressed and decisions are documented.
  Prepare, or coordinate preparation of meeting minutes, progress reports, and project correspondence to ensuring accuracy and transparency.
• Implement or support QA/QC procedures to ensure all project works meet contractual requirements and industry standards.
  Review project documentation including submittals, drawings, approvals, and change requests.
• Coordinate audits, inspections, and compliance reviews required by consultants and authorities, as well as support preparation of project closeout files, As-built packages, final reports, and handover documentation.