Project Description Sheet

 

Project Name:

System Review of Estuary Development Programme

Contract no. DHA 0107929

Our Ref: DHA/OS/2008/158

Country:

Bangladesh

Project Location within Country:

Dhaka

Approx. Project Value : BDT: 200000

 

 

Name of Client:

Embassy of the Kingdom of Royal Netherlands

 

Professional Staff Provided:

 

No. of Staff: 1

 

No. of Person-months: one

Start Date (month/year):

27.04.2008

Completion Date:

(month/year)

 11.05.2008

Approx. Value of Services:

BDT: 200000

 

Name of Associated Firm(s) if any:

N/A

No. of Person-months of Professional Staff Provided by associated Firm(s):

15 man- days

Name of Senior Staff (Project Director / Coordinator, Team Leader) Involved and Functions Performed:

Mr. Siddiqur Rahman Choudhury

(Former Finance Secretary)

-     Team Leader

(Chartered accountant / Management Consultant)

 

Detailed Narrative Description of Project:

 

To conduct consultancy services for Estuary Development Programme that was formulated under the purview of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Programme to deal with the technical aspects of the estuary development processes of the Bay of Bengal covering erosion, accretion, bank protection processes. This is also a follow-up of earlier Dutch Assisted Meghna Estuary Project (MES) which was implemented during 1996— 2001 period.

 

Detailed Description of Actual Services Provided by the Company:

The consultant uses the generic TOR prepared by the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN) under the close consultation with BWDB and the Working Group.

 

 The consultant team has undertaken the following tasks.

 

·         To operate the activities under the Reimbursable Project Aid (RPA) modality.

·         The system review programme was conducted to review the existing financial and operational design of the EDP.

·         The financing modality of the programme, including a schedule with realistic time allocations for all subsequent procedural steps of the recommended financing modality;

·         To settle for an assessment whether all ruts, regulations and procedures required for running the project under Reimbursable Project Aid (RPA) are in place;

·         To recommend on additional measures that should be taken to implement the RPA modality effectively;

·         To develop a proposal for a realistic revised timeframe during which all of the project activities can be completed.

 

Services:

 Built on the lessons of MES, EDP was designed with the following objectives and services:

1.     Institutionalization and strengthening of the marine survey capacity of the BWDB through the Survey Unit Anwesha and the SSSU;

2.     Capacity and knowledge developed and strengthened within the BWDB for design and planning of erosion control and land accretion related activities;

3.     Land accretion and erosion control schemes (on an extended pilot basis) implemented

4.     To enhance knowledge basis for capacity building for survey, design and planning to Integrated Coastal Zone Management and Development process.

5.     Reviewing the concerned project documents including EKN project appraisal documents (including supplementary appendixes and background information on the development of the programme provided by EKN); Government’s approved development project proposal (DPP); inception report; etc

6.     Review flow of funds in order to assess whether there are any significant arrears

7.     Assess whether the rolling advance need to be increased, if so, assist BWDB in development of a realistic liquidity forecast until the end of 2008 and a draft liquidity plan until the end of the programme;

8.     Review the functioning of the accounts opened for the programme by ERD for the purpose of receiving Netherlands grant funds. Furthermore, to explore and provide advice on the two main RPA modalities (RPA under GoB and RPA under imprest).

9.     Review whether the financial system is in place to provide all programme partners with sufficient funds within an acceptable time

10.   Review the applicable procurement regulations and provide recommendations on modalities to procure project equipment within Government of Bangladesh regulations and within a reasonable timeframe. In order to do this, the system review consultant consulted with Government of Bangladesh and other development partners to assess procurement methods used in other development projects (especially Asian Development Bank, World Bank funded projects and the EKN funded Char land Development and Settlement Project-Ill).

11.   Review and provide necessary recommendations for the terms of reference for operation of the research vessel ‘Anwesha’

12.   Review the progress of the programme to date and make recommendations on a realistic timeframe in which the programme activities can be completed.

13.   Report on the findings that made interest for the proper operation of the programme.

14.   The consultant presented  the recommendations in a workshop at the end of the mission

15.   A draft report will be submitted to the EKN and the GoB two weeks after the mission.

 

Funding Agency: Embassy of the Kingdom of Royal Netherlands