Search

Displaying 1 - 15 of 150

Lesson
Aligning TA deliverables to the knowledge needs articulated and defined by governments enhances the value proposition and value addition of ADB technical assistance to developing member countries. In this case, the significant knowledge delivered by the TA on the impact of COVID-19 on the labor market and foresights into the emerging skills and professions in the post-pandemic environment provided critical inputs to the development of the Solidarity Fund for Kazakhstan (AFK) and related policies.

Project Number: 54265-001
Project Name: COVID-19 Solidarity Fund for Kazakhstan
Report Date:
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
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
Land acquisition issues in PNG are more difficult to resolve than in other countries, as 97% of land is customarily owned. In this project, In this project, In this project, they were harder to contend with than expected at design stage due to changes in weather patterns that affected travel plans, with many of the sites located at sea. In a project as widely dispersed geographically as this one, more time will also have to be allowed for site access and community engagement activities.

Project Number: 44375-013
Project Name: Maritime and Waterways Safety Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Cost management and quality assurance mitigate the risk of cost increases due to project design changes during implementation. Despite modifications to the project, the final cost aligned closely with the estimates at appraisal as a result of coordinated efforts. A well managed tender process secured favorable offers, while proactive project management throughout the procurement and construction phases ensured cost efficiency and quality.

Project Number: 45022-002
Project Name: Jiangxi Ji'an Sustainable Urban Transport Project
Report Date:
Lesson
A time-based contract suits consultants better than a lump sum contract as it prevents issues when service extensions are necessary for unforeseen project extensions, which typically imply annual price escalations.

Project Number: 45022-002
Project Name: Jiangxi Ji'an Sustainable Urban Transport Project
Report Date:
Lesson
To ensure knowledge creation, documentation, and dissemination, a good combination of consultants with both practical and documentation capacity needs to be considered in the preparation of the terms of reference of the TA and selection of consultants. The national consultant team, which conducted most of the TA activities, lacked adequate skills in summarizing and writing down key knowledge acquired through the TA. The international consultant was brought in to help improve documentation only after the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.

Project Number: 53035-001
Project Name: Sustainable Fodder Management
Report Date:
Lesson
A functional coordinating mechanism centered around a competent consultant team leader is key to the success of a complex implementation arrangement. The TA engaged a consulting firm, which subcontracted six additional international and national partners. This helped build a great partnership for knowledge and solutions. However, as many parallel activities were unfolding, the firm had difficulty coordinating input and outputs.

Project Number: 53035-001
Project Name: Sustainable Fodder Management
Report Date:
Lesson
Careful political economy analysis can help identify potential legal or regulatory changes on the horizon that could impact planned interventions. In this case, changes in the regulatory framework related to hazardous waste management resulted in the cancelation of one output.

Project Number: 45009-002
Project Name: Fifth Health Sector Development Project
Report Date:
Lesson
A combination of consulting firm and individual consultant inputs may prove effective in meeting the consulting requirements of projects. The quality- and cost-based selection method used by the TA to engage the firm offered a number of key benefits, including improved quality, increased competition, transparency, accountability, and sustainability.

Project Number: 44184-012
Project Name: Afghanistan and Turkmenistan: Regional Power Interconnection Project
Report Date:
Lesson
Designation of existing consultants to higher positions and responsibility levels may be explored to fill vacancies during implementation. There were two changes to the team leader position. The first was due to the resignation of the specialist because of an unexpected urgent assignment from his hiring university. The consultant recruited as the replacement team leader was not capable of performing the role. Instead of going through contract termination and recruitment process again, the TA team appointed the national simulation specialist, who had demonstrated strong leadership.

Project Number: 54037-001
Project Name: Innovation-Driven Green Economic Diversification for Resource-Exhausted Cities in Heilongjiang
Report Date:
Lesson
Continuing dialogue between ADB and the Uzbekistan government is necessary to further improve the government's focus on gender equality and women’s empowerment. Potential gender entry points for ADB could be to support knowledge building on gender-based budgeting, integrating gender and social dimensions into social protection systems, and gender-focused small and mediyum-sized enterprise development programs for job creation.

Project Number: 56149-001
Project Name: Building Resilience with Active Countercyclical Expenditures Program
Report Date:
Lesson
It is important to listen to government counterparts and to understand the local context of the country through in-depth diagnostic study. This will help in recommending suitable and context-specific solutions. Project teams should try to anticipate country requests, especially during the conduct of the diagnostic studies, for which costs can sometimes be underestimated.

Project Number: 54076-001
Project Name: Strengthening Property Tax Management to Enhance Local Revenue
Report Date:
Lesson
Ensuring that the design of the TA aligns with ADB strategic regional efforts is important in order for the TA to contribute to longer-term sustainable results. In this case, the TA was aligned with ADB strategies and policies on RCI, energy, and environment, as well as the national and regional policies and strategies of the SASEC member countries.

Project Number: 52070-001
Project Name: South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Regional Energy Cooperation
Report Date: