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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
Report Date:
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
Stakeholder involvement in project design and advance preparation of the consultant terms of reference and procurement packages strengthen the effectiveness and efficiency potential of projects. Close involvement by the executing agency and project colleges allowed for an in-depth discussion of outcome and output indicators, as well as of the cost estimates reflecting the local context and implementation capacity of the executing agency and project colleges.

Project Number: 42278-024
Project Name: Second Strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Efforts to train EAS and IAs in ADB procurement procedures will do little in developing institutional procurement capacity with the persistence of staff turnover in these agencies. In this project, frequent turnover of key staff members prevented the training from reaching all those responsible for developing requests for proposals, formulating evaluation criteria, and reviewing bids against the criteria. Consequently, procurement capacity remained low.

Project Number: 47009-002
Project Name: Guangxi Baise Vocational Education Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
EAs and IAs commonly perceive the low-cost option as the preferred option. However, in the case of consultant selection and civil works contractor selection in thisproject, this perception was debunked by poor contractor performance and issues with payment.

Project Number: 47009-002
Project Name: Guangxi Baise Vocational Education Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Provision of adequate technical support for the executing and implementing agencies with respect to procurement planning as well as consultant recruitment and management helps in streamlining the procurement timeline processes. Specifically, providing capacity building support and training on ADB procurement procedures, biddings, and contracts facilitates effective execution of civil works' activities.

Project Number: 49168-001
Project Name: Improving School Dormitory Environment for Primary Students in Western Region Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Poor quality of local talent can significantly hinder implementation, causing ADB to intensify implementation support to put projects on track. The executing agency asked the international consulting firm “to change six of the national experts to enhance the quality of expertise.” Delays in retaining architects to monitor construction had a knock-on impact on the procurement of civil works and equipment packages. The objective of setting up the Project Administration Group (PAG), among other implementation units, was to delegate project execution to locals, but this did not work.

Project Number: 46535-001
Project Name: Strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training
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
Shortage of qualified national consultants could delay implementation and increase project costs . The intention at design was to work with the support of national consultants. However, the lack of national consultants with technical qualifications and TVET experience as required by the project hampered timely recruitment and mobilization of these technical experts. Consequently, some national positions had to be converted to international positions or contracts of qualified national consultants extended to enable them to complete the tasks.

Project Number: 45139-001
Project Name: Mid-Level Skills Training Project
Report Date:
Lesson
It is important to include individual startup consultants in the project design to assist and help avoid delays during the early implementation stages. The project experienced some startup delays, particularly in procurement and capacity building. The experience demonstrates the importance of including individual startup consultants in the project design to assist the executing and implementing agencies and avoid delays during early-stage implementation.

Project Number: 45511-006
Project Name: Hunan Technical and Vocational Education and Training Demonstration Project
Report Date:
Lesson
It is critical for executing agencies to enhance their procurement capacity to ensure that all consulting services needed by a project are in place at the earliest possible time. The recruitment of a consulting firm for engineering design and drawing under this project spanned 15 months despite advance action. This significantly delayed project implementation, highlighting the need for MECCS to strengthen its procurement capacity and ensure the timely recruitment of consultants for its projects.

Project Number: 49168-001
Project Name: Improving School Dormitory Environment for Primary Students in Western Region Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Contract management may better be handled by engaging a consulting firm rather than individual consultants. It was challenging for MECSS to recruit nine individual consultants, manage and coordinate them, review their reports, and process their payments during project implementation. In the future, it would be better for projects of this kind to have one consulting firm instead of several individual consultants whose inputs are closely linked.

Project Number: 49168-001
Project Name: Improving School Dormitory Environment for Primary Students in Western Region Project
Report Date:
Lesson
This is external to ADB. The collaboration with two NGOs provided a platform to engage with key domestic stakeholders.

Project Number: 50311-001
Project Name: Education Sector Assessment
Report Date:
Lesson
The TA had been effective in drawing cofinancing. Activities from the cofinancing were clearly defined and complementary to ADB financed activities. Co-financing could have been envisaged at design stage instead of additional financing during implementation.

Project Number: 45317-001
Project Name: Support for the Third Primary Education Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Partnership with nongovernment organizations (NGOs) was helpful to the success of the TA. The TA used two NGOs––the Karachi-based Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development, and the Lahore-based Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives––to (i) organize and host workshops to solicit the views of sector stakeholders, and (ii) undertake peer review of the sector assessments produced under the TA.

Project Number: 50311-001
Project Name: Education Sector Assessment
Report Date: