A database to track consultants’ performance in development projects in the country and/or region is a useful reference for the executing agencies to recruit qulified, experienced, and highly performing personnel.
The absence of a project management unit (PMU) with adequate dedicated full-time qualified staff and decision-making authority militates against the successful implementation of projects.
The lack of organizational capacity and requisite implementation skills also weighs heavily against the attainment of project objectives. Another major reason for poor performance of the PNB was its inability to scale up individual subloans through either the Renewable Energy Services Company (RESCO) or demand aggregation of smaller subprojects, be they in the commercial and industrial sector, MSME, or residential sector.
Establishing well-staffed and operational project management units (PMUs) and project implementation units (PIUs) as early as possible is essential for effective implementation. Timely recruitment and mobilization of project implementation consultants will also ensure that technical resources are in place to support the PMUs and PIUs. Delays in consultant recruitment and high turnover in specialized areas need to immediately addresses as these could adversely impact project activities.
Inadequate staffing levels and frequent staff turnovers make training efforts less effective and sustainable. Under their existing structures, all the key project agencies faced challenges due to the perennial shortage of key personnel, made worse by high staff turnover. Therefore, it has been essential for ADB to continually review staff skills and capabilities and corporate structures, and implement measures to fill capacity gaps.
Proper assessment of the borrower’s capacity and those of the executing agencies during the preparation phase supports project implementation which will help achieve the desired output and results. A delay in one key project component, due to weak capacity of agencies, could likely cause further delays in the subsequent activities such civil works which hampers the overall project implementation timeline.
It is prudent to consider providing project implementation support through a better-staffed consulting to mitigate existing capacity gaps in project agencies. At project appraisal, ADB identified the executing agency as having limited experience with ADB projects; yet it was made responsible for leading project performance tracking by the proect implementation unit (PIU), with the support of only two individual consultants for a short term. Changes in government exacerbated the lack of leadership and management capacity of the PIU.
The engagement of experienced personnel with the ability to decide on crucial matters is indispensable to the successful implementation of projects. While there are limited financial and human resources in Tonga, the government tries its best to achieve and sustain project outputs through its recurrent budget. Implementation of key project outputs such as the CCTF and SMAs was eventually achieved.
Use of consultants from other tranche projects is only appropriate if their performance is satisfactory.
Constant training and practice are effective in deepening stakeholder understanding of ADB safeguard requirements and the ways they can best be met. This was proven by this project's experience with the executing agency that had no prior exposure to the concept og an environmental and social management system.