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Lesson
Engaging an international firm with extensive experience proved to be the best option for this TA which focused on a complex and highly specialized topic. Nevertheless,there will always be an indispensable need for national perspectives and experiences, best provided by national consultants, to inform and be considered in TA analyses and recommendations. Future TA could benefit from increased engagement with local experts, either as individual consultants or as subcontracted members of international consulting firms or TA implementation teams.

Project Number: 53198-001
Project Name: Developing a Disaster Risk Transfer Facility in the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Region
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Lesson
The knowledge team (formerly Knowledge Advisory Services Center) from the former Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department administered the TA and supervised consultants until the TA was transferred to the Partner Funds Division. Managing consultants through external resources should be based on a clear understanding of ADB procedures and guidelines and should be adopted only if necessary.

Project Number: 52299-001
Project Name: Demonstrating Future Thinking and Foresight in Developing Member Countries
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Lesson
Land acquisition issues in PNG are more difficult to resolve than in other countries, as 97% of land is customarily owned. In this project, In this project, In this project, they were harder to contend with than expected at design stage due to changes in weather patterns that affected travel plans, with many of the sites located at sea. In a project as widely dispersed geographically as this one, more time will also have to be allowed for site access and community engagement activities.

Project Number: 44375-013
Project Name: Maritime and Waterways Safety Project
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Lesson
The development of specialized expertise requires careful selection and the engagement of qualified consultants and proper management of expectations from all parties. Future thinking and foresight is a specialized expertise. It is crucial to identify and engage consultants with proven experience to ensure they can provide the necessary guidance and insights. It is also a new approach for ADB and thus, clear onboarding, communication, and setting expectations for both Staff and consultants who were critiical to the success of the TA.

Project Number: 52299-001
Project Name: Demonstrating Future Thinking and Foresight in Developing Member Countries
Report Date:
Lesson
Cost management and quality assurance mitigate the risk of cost increases due to project design changes during implementation. Despite modifications to the project, the final cost aligned closely with the estimates at appraisal as a result of coordinated efforts. A well managed tender process secured favorable offers, while proactive project management throughout the procurement and construction phases ensured cost efficiency and quality.

Project Number: 45022-002
Project Name: Jiangxi Ji'an Sustainable Urban Transport Project
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Lesson
A time-based contract suits consultants better than a lump sum contract as it prevents issues when service extensions are necessary for unforeseen project extensions, which typically imply annual price escalations.

Project Number: 45022-002
Project Name: Jiangxi Ji'an Sustainable Urban Transport Project
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Lesson
All the output and activity requirements to achieve planned outcomes need to be identified and mapped out in a clear implementation plan with well-defined targets and a definite timeframe. The original project design overlooked securing donor funding as a key output for establishing the Facility. The proposed timeline for stakeholder consultations was overly optimistic.

Project Number: 54344-001
Project Name: Supporting the Establishment of a CAREC Regional Infrastructure Projects Enabling Facility
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Lesson
To ensure knowledge creation, documentation, and dissemination, a good combination of consultants with both practical and documentation capacity needs to be considered in the preparation of the terms of reference of the TA and selection of consultants. The national consultant team, which conducted most of the TA activities, lacked adequate skills in summarizing and writing down key knowledge acquired through the TA. The international consultant was brought in to help improve documentation only after the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.

Project Number: 53035-001
Project Name: Sustainable Fodder Management
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Lesson
A functional coordinating mechanism centered around a competent consultant team leader is key to the success of a complex implementation arrangement. The TA engaged a consulting firm, which subcontracted six additional international and national partners. This helped build a great partnership for knowledge and solutions. However, as many parallel activities were unfolding, the firm had difficulty coordinating input and outputs.

Project Number: 53035-001
Project Name: Sustainable Fodder Management
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Lesson
A combination of consulting firm and individual consultant inputs may prove effective in meeting the consulting requirements of projects. The quality- and cost-based selection method used by the TA to engage the firm offered a number of key benefits, including improved quality, increased competition, transparency, accountability, and sustainability.

Project Number: 44184-012
Project Name: Afghanistan and Turkmenistan: Regional Power Interconnection Project
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Lesson
Designation of existing consultants to higher positions and responsibility levels may be explored to fill vacancies during implementation. There were two changes to the team leader position. The first was due to the resignation of the specialist because of an unexpected urgent assignment from his hiring university. The consultant recruited as the replacement team leader was not capable of performing the role. Instead of going through contract termination and recruitment process again, the TA team appointed the national simulation specialist, who had demonstrated strong leadership.

Project Number: 54037-001
Project Name: Innovation-Driven Green Economic Diversification for Resource-Exhausted Cities in Heilongjiang
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Lesson
Extensions in project implementation period provide opportunities not only to fully achieve but also enhance project results. In this case, the agreement on TA extension was premised not only on overcoming delays due to COVID-19 but also to facilitate additional safeguards and technical studies which provided better upstream guidance to the detailed design phase of the ensuing project the TA supported.

Project Number: 51249-003
Project Name: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Water Resources Development Project
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Lesson
Close communication and timely adjustments in implementation arrangements help minimize the impact of disruptions and ensure TA completion within the original or revised timeframes.

Project Number: 52070-001
Project Name: South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Regional Energy Cooperation
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Lesson
Construction timelines in climate-affected areas need to be reliably assessed to minimize completion delays. The construction timelines for Karamyk BCP, located at altitude of 2,300 meters above sea level, were tight. The contractor faced various issues due to the harsh weather, electricity supply interruptions, and delays with the supply of materials and equipment. Combined with the contractor’s relatively low financial capacity, this resulted in a 4-year construction period versus the originally planned 15-month implementation timeline.

Project Number: 46124-001
Project Name: Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Regional Improvement of Border Services Project
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Lesson
Trade facilitation reforms and national single window (NSW) development are complex undertakings requiring much time to be completed. This project's timelines were very ambitious with regard to the NSW component given that it required institutional and regulatory reforms; business process reengineering across multiple government agencies; as well as design, development, and integration of the SWIS.

Project Number: 46124-001
Project Name: Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Regional Improvement of Border Services Project
Report Date: