IDB engages consulting firm to assist with PSIP

– aimed at improving effectiveness, accountability

In an effort to support Government’s endeavours to improve effectiveness and accountability in the delivery of public services to citizens through the implementation of the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has engaged the services of a top consulting firm specialised in this area to provide necessary support.
A technical team from Delivery Associates has made three visits to Guyana. The first was to carry out diagnostic analysis for Guyana to see where opportunities for improvement lie. The second was to share the results of its findings; and the third was to present a model adopted by Governments around the world. This model is often called a delivery unit or an implementation unit.
A statement from the IDB local office on Wednesday said most Governments placed too much emphasis on policy and less on the importance of effective project implementation. As such, it was noted that the delivery unit model was a simple but rigorous approach, in which a systematic process, through which system leaders drive progress and achieve results – in this case specifically of capital projects carried out by the Government.
The IDB said this model was characterised by its emphasis on defining a set of limited clear priorities and goals focused on outcomes for citizens, and rigorous data-based monitoring of progress and coordination among involved parties. Through implementation of these principles, the model aims to clarify what success means for the Government and thereby increase the speed of delivery of benefits to citizens.
The objective of this unit, according to the organisation, is to help Government agencies to deliver concrete results in priority goals through planning, performance insights, problem solving, capacity building and coordination. It is a lean structure meant to support ministries, and not to take over their roles nor to add additional layers to the Government’s bureaucratic structure.
In the case of Guyana, Delivery Associates has completed a diagnostic analysis of how Guyana’s PSIP works, including an analysis of its delivery chain. This study has identified several opportunities for improvements, for which the delivery management model could be useful. The firm is currently coordinating with the IDB’s team to finalise the diagnosis report so that it can be shared with Guyanese authorities.
In the interim, the IDB has been actively coordinating with senior Guyanese officials about this initiative, including President David Granger; Minister of State, Joseph Harmon; Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan; and Minister of Public Affairs in the Ministry of the Presidency, Dawn Hastings-Williams.
To date, the IDB has supported the above-described activities of the firm through a US$145,000 grant approved earlier in the year. The IDB is planning to further promote the initiative through financing a series of activities via another grant of US$500,000, which will contribute to the definition of top priorities and monitorable indicators to measure the impact of the work to be completed in those areas, as well as the design of a delivery management model suitable for the case of Guyana. This approach may establish the parameters for the possible establishment of a Delivery Unit in Guyana if all interests are aligned.