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Lesson
In future projects, both the government and donors should prepare realistic project schedules by carefully taking into account (a) the security situation and the time and resources required to carry out remedial actions for the safety of project teams throughout the projects; (b) actual construction period available in a year considering the altitude of the project areas and inclement weather conditions; (c) probability of rebidding due to lack of interest, competition, or exorbitant costs (beyond acceptable limits) offered by some interested bidders; (d) delays in contractor mobilization;

Project Number: 39467-013
Project Name: North-South Corridor Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Scrutiny of contractors and consultants before their selection is critical to the success of any project. In particular, in projects like this, which draw minimum interest because of security hazards, lack of oversight may jeopardize project implementation. Therefore, in Afghanistan, specifically in projects like this, such risks may be averted by giving more emphasis to quality and the performance record of both the consultants and the contractors, and not just the lowest price.

Project Number: 39467-013
Project Name: North-South Corridor Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Adverse security issues and project start-up delays are two main factors that have adversely affected and delayed almost all previous projects in Afghanistan, except those where these issues were carefully handled in advance. Furthermore, insufficient surveys during project processing, and major changes in the technical design parameters during project implementation, can also cause serious implementation delays and significant cost overrun. The project suffered security issues until the situation was fixed with the help of additional security arrangements.

Project Number: 39467-013
Project Name: North-South Corridor Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Experience on several ongoing and completed projects in Afghanistan has shown that project implementation is delayed due to two main factors: start-up delays and adverse security issues. Taking advance actions before grant or loan effectiveness can easily address these problems, as demonstrated on this project. Timely actions were taken to speed up implementation readiness, such as advance procurement of works and consulting services, award of contracts, site handover, and timely establishment of a fully staffed project implementation unit.

Project Number: 42533-022
Project Name: Hairatan to Mazar-e-Sharif Railway Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Implementing a project of this magnitude and in a strict timeframe was quite challenging. However, this can be achieved through exceptional involvement of donors. ADB provided enhanced supervision both from headquarters and the resident mission. Staffs were closely involved in identifying and promptly resolving issues. Any matter requiring ADB's internal approval was expedited and funds were released with fast-track processing. Furthermore, a fulltime implementation consultant was mobilized by ADB on site to provide coordination, implementation assistance, and independent reporting.

Project Number: 42533-022
Project Name: Hairatan to Mazar-e-Sharif Railway Project
Report Date:
Lesson
For projects where multiple government agencies are involved in decision making, it is important to establish coordination through an executive committee made up of representatives of the concerned agencies, chaired by a high-level government official and/or champion. Such a committee can facilitate the provision of overall guidance, ensuring expeditious approvals from various agencies, and in places where security is a major concern, could ensure that the project is implemented uninterrupted with sustained security arrangements.

Project Number: 42533-022
Project Name: Hairatan to Mazar-e-Sharif Railway Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Combining the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) and operation and maintenance (O&M) into one package may yield more efficient and cost-effective outputs. On this project, this would have given all the parties a clear understanding of the requirements from the beginning, and risk-mitigation measures could have been built into the contract appropriately. The contractor would also have been particularly vigilant in ensuring the best quality of works during construction.

Project Number: 42533-022
Project Name: Hairatan to Mazar-e-Sharif Railway Project
Report Date:
Lesson
For implementing large-scale and complex projects with a strict timeframe, the preferred form of contract can be engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) turnkey. For this project, works were awarded under the EPC turnkey contract using a fixed-price and fixed-delivery schedule with penalties for nonperformance and a bonus for early completion. This provided reasonable economic stimuli for timely project completion.

Project Number: 42533-022
Project Name: Hairatan to Mazar-e-Sharif Railway Project
Report Date:
Lesson
In the absence of specific terms of reference for international advisors for on-the-job training, or if those are not strictly focused on the most technically challenging tasks, the availability of these experts to provide general support within the ministries will tend to crowd-out the inputs provided by, and the learning process of the local staff. Thus, experts should be given specific terms of reference that (a) require the provision of on-the-job training to local counterparts, and (b) limit their overall involvement to the most technically challenging tasks.

Project Number: 38122-013
Project Name: Fiscal Management and Public Administration Reform Program
Report Date:
Lesson
The main lesson learned through implementation of the project was that working with and supporting existing government structures helps develop the capacity of the executing agency to implement externally funded projects, especially in procurement and contract management. It also ensures better ownership of the various works and continued sustainability. Most other development activities are implemented off-budget in Afghanistan.

Project Number: 37136-013
Project Name: Regional Airports Rehabilitation Project Phase I
Report Date:
Lesson
The capacity of Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA) to promote new investment in Afghanistan and the availability of PRG cover to support such investment was poor because of staff turnover and an inadequate incentive framework. This should have been anticipated and technical assistance could have looked at ways to address this problem.

Project Number: 38598-013
Project Name: Afghanistan Investment Guarantee Facility Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Without absorptive capacity in ministries, very little technical skills transfer will occur;

Project Number: 37393-032, 37393-042
Project Name: Private Sector and Financial Market Development Program
Report Date:
Lesson
In the absence of absorptive capacity in ministries, little technical skills transfer will occur. However, the level of fiscal resources needed to sustain hiring of more qualified staff to the civil service (to increase that absorptive capacity) is also affected by current development partner financing of externally-funded national staff (the so-called ?second civil service?), which is now hired on inflated terms. Coordination between these two dimensions is a priority if core government capacity is to be developed.

Project Number: 38122-013
Project Name: Fiscal Management and Public Administration Reform Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Responsibility for the project was spread out within ADB, causing coordination issues with MIGA and other cofinanciers. For future projects combining sovereign, nonsovereign, and cofinancing operations, having a single focal point within ADB would improve project implementation and prospects for success.

Project Number: 38598-013
Project Name: Afghanistan Investment Guarantee Facility Project
Report Date:
Lesson
The effectiveness of policy reforms under the program is ultimately determined by the competence of the different Afghan government agencies, which acquired new roles during the reform process. As a result, and in view of the pervasive capacity constraints that affect the government, the sustainability of the program requires substantial follow-up assistance. A second program focused on the implementation challenges created by the program should be considered, as that would also be in line with the current ADB country partnership strategy for Afghanistan.

Project Number: 37393-032, 37393-042
Project Name: Private Sector and Financial Market Development Program
Report Date: