Budget approval and procurement of new technologies being piloted could take time and cause implementation delays; when installed, rigorous monitoring of the performance of the new technologies is required to ascertain benefits and draw lessons from the pilot experience. In implementing the four pilot smart grid projects, substantial delays occurred due to the lengthy budget approval process and the procurement requirement of open competitive bidding while allowing international bidder participation. Rebidding was also required following the failure of initial bidding rounds caused by bidder incompliance with technical and administrative requirements, as well as disagreement on the engineering and owner estimate calculation. Once installed, monitoring and reporting of the pilot is necessary to obtain the full benefit of the pilot project and ensure lessons are taken for future projects of similar nature.
Sustainable Energy Access in Eastern Indonesia—Electricity Grid Development Program