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Lesson
An exogenous shock such as the COVID-19 pandemic can significantly affect TA execution and associated plans and government priorities. When that happens, it will be useful to pause TA implementation, revisit the processing timeline, take sufficient time to observe and discuss with the executing agency, and make adjustment where possible. The TA was well aligned with strategy documents at national and ADB level.

Project Number: 52013-001
Project Name: Research University Sector Development Program
Report Date:
Lesson
It is important for projects engaging many consultants to have a clear record of what was delivered and why the scope of contracts was changed or reduced. The firm’s final report should summarize the key deliverables and their usage. It is also important to undertake a structured turnover process especially to submit TA documentation sharing insights, best practices, and lessons from the TA experience.

Project Number: 52013-001
Project Name: Research University Sector Development Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Despite odds, it is not impossible for TA projects to collect the necessary information to prepare ensuing projects. The TA scope and implementation arrangements had been changed to adapt to the changing context arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, it was able to gather all the requisite information to prepare the ensuing project.

Project Number: 52013-001
Project Name: Research University Sector Development Program
Report Date:
Lesson
Financial sustainability of project assets and benefits, in this case, the sanitary and phytosanitary system, should be addressed at the outset or during implementation and not only identified as an issue at appraisal, and establishing appropriate financing mechanisms for operation and maintenance at the outset would help ensure adequate maintenance after project completion.

Project Number: 43120-013
Project Name: Trade Facilitation: Improved Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Handling in Greater Mekong Subregion Trade Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Active support of relevant government agencies and strong ownership of the project management units contribute significantly to project success. In developing member countries where institutional capacity is weak, it is critical that concerned agencies are both capacitated and committed in achieving the intended results.

Project Number: 43120-013
Project Name: Trade Facilitation: Improved Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Handling in Greater Mekong Subregion Trade Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Providing targeted resources to ensure sufficient understanding of ADB procurement and project administration guidelines, particularly among first-time ADB executing and implementing agencies, will help avoid startup delays. Minor implementation startup delays were encountered because of the unfamiliarity of some first-time implementing agencies with ADB procurement, financial management, and disbursement procedures. But after trainings were provided and consultants mobilized, implementation accelerated significantly.

Project Number: 43120-013
Project Name: Trade Facilitation: Improved Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Handling in Greater Mekong Subregion Trade Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Ensuring the sustainability of project benefits would require serious efforts from the component implementation units (CIUs) to raise funds from various sources. Governments have allocated annual budgets for CIUs to continue post-project operations. But financial sustainability is still a concern, as government allocations are sufficient to cover only routine facility maintenance and supplies and not surveillance, animal and pest outbreak responses, and repair of critical laboratory equipment.

Project Number: 43120-013
Project Name: Trade Facilitation: Improved Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Handling in Greater Mekong Subregion Trade Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Continued capacity building is required for Cambodia and the Lao PDR to move to a higher level of technical capacity in handling sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) concerns. The project has strengthened SPS capacity in Cambodia and the Lao PDR and facilitated product-specific market access agreements with neighboring countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion. It strengthened academic aspects of SPS, which were nonexistent before the project. It enabled knowledge transfer in priority SPS areas from the training and day-to-day coaching provided by project consultants.

Project Number: 43120-013
Project Name: Trade Facilitation: Improved Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Handling in Greater Mekong Subregion Trade Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Unsynchronized consultant recruitment, procurement of goods, and facility upgrades could create inefficiencies and lead to a wastage of time and resources and delayed delivery of project benefits. While overall the project proceeded smoothly, it encountered some challenges that offer valuable lessons to future projects. First, as the timing of consultant inputs and procurement of laboratory facilities and equipment were not synchronized, i.e., consultants would arrive early while facilities were not yet ready, less-than-efficient inputs were obtained.

Project Number: 43120-013
Project Name: Trade Facilitation: Improved Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Handling in Greater Mekong Subregion Trade Project
Report Date:
Lesson
High staff turnover, weak procurement and contract management capacities, and lack of familiarity with ADB procedures, often the cause of implementation delays, need to be addressed jointly by ADB and government counterpart agencies. Because of the changes in the executing agency’s senior-level officials, turnover of the project staff was high. The project also suffered from counterpart agencies' weak procurement and contract management capacity and lack of familiarity with ADB guidelines.

Project Number: 43007-023
Project Name: Higher Education Reform Project
Report Date:
Lesson
The objectives and implementation period for sector reform projects need to be well-aligned with the government’s long-term vision and carefully consider existing capacities. This project's overall objective was ambitious as sector reforms require long-term and sustainable interventions, adequate resources, and sufficient time. Increasing student enrollment and rural higher education institutions offering distance education programs were not achievable through a single project intervention.

Project Number: 43007-023
Project Name: Higher Education Reform Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Changes in scope and implementation arrangements are often needed to make projects responsive to changes in government and policy directions. The changes in the ruling party and restructuring of the government in 2012 and 2016 led to changes in the policy directions on higher education. To remain responsive and aligned with the government’s policy, minor changes were made to the project scope and implementation arrangements.

Project Number: 43007-023
Project Name: Higher Education Reform Project
Report Date:
Lesson
The introduction of participatory approaches and the transfer of management of large irrigation schemes to irrigation management companies can promote sustainable irrigation services.

Project Number: 42080-013
Project Name: Strengthening Water Management and Irrigation Systems Rehabilitation Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Possible control groups need to be identified to measure benefits attributable to the project.

Project Number: 42080-013
Project Name: Strengthening Water Management and Irrigation Systems Rehabilitation Project
Report Date:
Lesson
It is important to have a clear results chain logic when designing the DMF to extract valuable lessons from the project.

Project Number: 42080-013
Project Name: Strengthening Water Management and Irrigation Systems Rehabilitation Project
Report Date: