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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
Report Date:
Lesson
In turbulent times, projects must formulate comprehensive contingency plans for major emergencies such as (i) strengthening risk management with flexible plans to address unpredictability, (ii) developing adaptable resource plans, (iii) enhancing supply chain transparency to mitigate delays, (iv) improving remote team collaboration, and (v) leveraging digital technology to monitor projects during emergencies. This project was affected by the pandemic and required a loan extension until 30 June 2022, necessitating a corresponding extension of the implementation period.

Project Number: 45022-002
Project Name: Jiangxi Ji'an Sustainable Urban Transport Project
Report Date:
Lesson
A TA coordinator role should be considered at the TA design stage if heavy coordination work is expected. The TA required engagement with multiple provincial government agencies and city governments. The coordination had been difficult at the start of implementation. The TA team engaged an experienced TA coordinator using TA savings and successfully addressed the coordination issue.

Project Number: 54037-001
Project Name: Innovation-Driven Green Economic Diversification for Resource-Exhausted Cities in Heilongjiang
Report Date:
Lesson
Project readiness and advance contractung and retroactive financing facilitate successful and timely project completion. Project readiness—in terms of technical, financial, and safeguards readiness—was effectively undertaken, thereby facilitating smooth project implementation. The use of advance contracting and retroactive financing likewise helped enable the completion of all project activities by the original loan closing date.

Project Number: 47047-002
Project Name: Shandong Groundwater Protection Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Accurate cost estimates, including for contingencies, and effective utilization of loan savings are critical to the attainment of intended project results and timely financial closing. The actual contract price was lower than the amount estimated because of the inaccuracy of the engineering cost estimate and contingency estimates. Cost savings, however, were effectively utilized through minor changes in the project, further enhancing the achievement of project outcomes and outputs. Eligible expenses should be clarified early on, so as not to delay the project financial closing.

Project Number: 47047-002
Project Name: Shandong Groundwater Protection Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Current TA rating methodologies, which require reaching certain budget expenditure levels, can disincentivize appropriate cost management and encourage prioritizing budget use over project objectives.

Project Number: 55035-001
Project Name: Research for Demonstration of Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage Technologies in Industrial Sectors of Yunnan Province
Report Date:
Lesson
Early identification of the need to cancel subprojects and faster decision-making on project scope changes could shorten the extension of project implementation periods. This project's completion date was extended twice for a cumulative period of 3 years from the original completion of 31 December 2018. The first extension was until 31 December 2020 for the utilization of loan savings across different subprojects, necessitating a minor change in project scope that could have been shortened had the request for the scope change been made earlier.

Project Number: 45509-002
Project Name: Chongqing Urban-Rural Infrastructure Development Demonstration II Project
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Lesson
Urban development projects typically involve a variety of risks in the course of its implementation and execution of activities. Formulating appropriate project design and risk assessment during preparatory phase is critical to minimize start-up and implementation delays. This includes a systematic appraisal of the project’s technical scope and engineering design, project cost and contingencies, environmental and social safeguards, and financial and contractual risks.

Project Number: 43023-013
Project Name: Guangxi Beibu Gulf Cities Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
A strong project management office with adequate assistance from the local government is essential to ensure sound administration and coordination of project Implementation, especially for projects covering several subsectors.

Project Number: 46062-002
Project Name: Gansu Baiyin Integrated Urban Development Project
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Lesson
Sound identification and valuation of costs and benefits in the economic analysis can provide more realistic economic internal rates of return (EIRRs) to indicate a more accurate state of project viability. The economic analysis in the RRP and PCR underestimated the value of the project outputs, particularly the economic benefits of the solid waste management component, which led to a low EIRR. Willingness-to-pay $2 per month for solid waste removal seems too low and unreasonable considering the substantial health and environmental benefits that such removal likely provides.

Project Number: 45507-003
Project Name: Yunnan Chuxiong Urban Environment Improvement Project
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Lesson
State-owned banks are often used for policy lending that target specific sectors offering low interest rates and preferential terms. It is important that during project preparation, financial intermediaries selected are aligned with the market-based approach of FIL projects to avoid crowding out subloans and nonparticipation of selected intermediaries in lending to the target sector.

Project Number: 47046-002
Project Name: Gansu Featured Agriculture and Financial Services System Development Project
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Lesson
Structural and nonstructural interventions require cohesive and integrated approaches, necessitating long-term planning and consultative processes. For example under this project, safeguard readiness including securing design approval from pertinent agencies should have been pursued more effectively. Project readiness for physical works should be adequately considered in drawing up implementation schedules. Accurate and realistic cost estimates based on detailed technical design can reduce the risk of loan cancellations.

Project Number: 44037-014
Project Name: Shaanxi Weinan Luyang Integrated Saline Land Management Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Decisions to invest further in concentrated solar thermal power projects, which are capital intensive, critically depends on the feasibility of the location and assessment of environmental risks, as well as the comprehensive and well-justified identification, quantification, and valuation of economic benefits.

Project Number: 46058-002
Project Name: Qinghai Delingha Concentrated Solar Thermal Power Project
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Lesson
Shifts in the types of projects can affect the financing products that may be supported under the clean energy financing (CEFP) platform. At project design, the CEFP was planned to provide three types of financing products: entrusted loans, guarantee funds, and lease financing facilities. During implementation, only entrusted loans were utilized. The other two financing products were not used because of shifts in the types of projects which did not require guarantees and lease financing.

Project Number: 48452-004
Project Name: Shaanxi Accelerated Energy Efficiency and Environment Improvement Financing Project
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Lesson
Establishing a skilled and effective lake basin authority was a long and arduous process. Converting the Chao Lake Management Authority (CLMA) from a sound concept to a skilled, effective lake basin planning and management organization evolved over time, and actions taken under the project helped the CLMA to establish its authority from scratch.

Project Number: 44036-013
Project Name: Anhui Chao Lake Environmental Rehabilitation Project
Report Date: