Strengthening Institutional Capabilities to Sustain Transport Outcomes
- In subsectors that are dominated by the public sector, such as intercity highways and rural roads, stream proven models of demand-side governance and commercial principles to ensure that there is a proper accountability and incentive framework in place, such as output- and performance based maintenance contracting, second generation road funds, and microenterprise models.
- Where complex reforms are planned, encourage continuous and sequential engagement and support appropriate government-led reform programs in a realistic time frame, taking into account the capacity of the government to carry out the reforms.
- Factor in the political economy in the reform process by identifying the key stakeholders and constituencies upfront, carrying out stakeholder analysis, ensuring consultation and communication during preparation of the reform, and adopting ways of compensating the affected groups to minimize the resistance to change or delays in legal or regulatory approvals.
- Support governments to put in place a reliable process for systematically monitoring and evaluating sustained transport infrastructure and services in all subsectors, particularly for road maintenance.
Institutional Capacity Enhanced institutional capability is a second intermediate outcome associated with sustained transport outcomes.
A clear accountability framework and incentive structure for operation and maintenance is critical for sustained transport in IFC and MIGA supported operations, and Bank-supported operations in certain subsectors, including ports and toll roads. This is often addressed through contractual arrangements and the user pay principle often featured in public private partnerships. In intercity highways and rural roads, institutional frameworks can adopt similar features, if they are well designed and operated according to contractual agreements/guidelines. Continuous engagement in the sector, through policy dialogue and sequenced World Bank operations in the transport sector has contributed to achieving policy reforms, especially in countries with weak capacity.
The political economy of reforms - who benefits, who doesn't, and how the latter can be compensated - is critically important to understand before launching a reform to sustain transport. Stakeholder consultation, inclusive analysis, and communication have also contributed to reducing the resistance to reforms. There are limited data to assess sustained transport outcomes the monitoring put in place during project implementation is often not continued beyond project closure.
Original Response: Agreed: Project task teams will use the institutional design tools available, like the modules "Institutional and Management Structures for Roads" and "Road Financing and Road Funds" of the HDM-4, wherever applicable. They will use the outcomes of the recent analytical work on performance-based contracting to improve maintenance and operations.
In the urban transport context, the Bank's Leaders in Urban Transport Planning (LUTP) program will be offered worldwide to strengthen institutions and institutional cooperation between non transport and transport authorities.
Management recognizes the importance of moving towards a more programmatic engagement in client countries. This will allow for longer-term cooperation with client countries and offer a time frame to build the capacity and create the institutions needed for better resource allocation and organization of maintenance and operations.
Part of these efforts will take the form of stakeholder consultations and mobilization to strengthen the voice on the demand side for improved institutional arrangements. Efforts to improve data collection at the project level on maintenance of infrastructure asset values will be sustained.
WB Action 3.A: When designing road projects, identify training needs in maintenance management, and facilitate access to professional training providers on maintenance management and planning systems (i.e. HDM-4).
Indicator: Percentage of highway projects including adequate training components in maintenance management and planning.
Baseline: To be determined in FY14
Target: 100 % of highway projects will include training measures on the relevant HDM-4 (or equivalent) components by FY15, when needed.
Timeline: Monitored by Transport Sector Board /Global Practice annually, starting with FY15.
WB Action 3.B: The Leaders in Urban Transport Planning (LUTP) program will include a module on maintenance.
Indicator: Module on maintenance for the Program created.
Baseline: No maintenance module on maintenance in LUTP.
Target: Module on maintenance created and included in the Leaders in Urban Transport Planning program.
Timeline: Module created within second quarter of FY 15. It will be offered with the scheduled LUTP workshops.
WB Action 3.C: Corporate review of past and ongoing programmatic operations to disseminate lessons of experience, to help identify opportunities for engaging in long-term programmatic relationships whenever possible.
Indicator: Lessons of experience delivered.
Baseline: Report non-existent
Target: Increasing percentage of programmatic operations in the sector incorporating the lessons of experience with programmatic approaches based on the Corporate Review, to 100 % by FY15.
Timeline: Corporate Review on lessons of experience completed by FY15. Portfolio review to monitor the percentage of programmatic operations in the sector by Transport Sector Board/Global Practice starting in FY14.
On 3A, IEG notices that there were 22 roads projects approved in FY17, all of them included support for training on road asset management or maintenance or planning.
On 3B, the action was completed.
On 3C, IEG takes note that all the 33 Transport &ICT projects approved in FY17, all of them made reference to lessons learned from previous projects in the same country and sector. However, it was not clear whether the lessons learned were incorporated into the project design especially when referring to the lessons from previous operations is a standard practice in the WBG operation.
3A- The review of all T&I projects approved in FY 17 indicate that of the 22 roads projects approved, 22 (100%) included a component or an allocation to support training needs in either (i) road asset management (ii) maintenance (iii) planning.
3B- Completed. No further action needed.
3C-The review of all Transport projects approved in FY17 indicate that of the 33 projects approved, 100% made reference to lessons learned from previous projects in the same country and sector.
IEG acknowledges that T&ICT GP continuously works on the institutional and capacity building of the clients and the staff. IEG is particularly impressed with the progress made on the development of an "ICR explorer" and launching of the tool in September 2016 to facilitate the dissemination of lessons of experiences. IEG also notes that a module on maintenance has been included in the Leaders in Urban Transport Planning Program since August 2014, and the various training including on HDM-4 was provided during Transport Learning Week, etc. However, IEG would appreciate it if the management update could be more specific about the achievement of targets related to Action 3.A and 3.C.
Additional information provided by the management indicated that 100% of road projects approved in FY16 included training measures at least in one of three areas: (i) road asset management (ii) maintenance (iii) planning. Majority of the projects approved in FY16 referred to lessons from previous operations in similar context.
In FY '16 Transport and ICR and its Global Solutions Groups (GSGs) and Community of Practices (CoPs) carried out three specific tasks related to this IEG recommendation and Management commitment for action:
3a. ASAs have played a critical guidance role in project identification. Two FY16 products included an ESMAP Paper on Sustainable Urban Transport Financing from Sidewalk to Subway: Capital, Operations and Maintenance Financing, which addressed issues such as land use, renewable fuels, private sector investment and sustainable financing a second focused on Formulating an Urban Transport Policy, which looked at sustainable urban transport financing and identifying solutions regarding underfunding and urban transport challenges. During Transport Learning Week (May 2016), the GP included several trainings on analysis and risks pertaining to urban mobility, HDM-4, operationalizing Climate Change in the road sector, and PPPs. Eighty percent of T&I projects include capacity building activities on asset management and planning.
Links to ASAs and Learning Week Agenda:
https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/23521
https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/20950
http://globalpractices.worldbank.org/transportict/Documents/Event Materials/2016 Learning Forum Agenda.pdf
3b. Leaders in Urban Transport Planning Program (LUTP) is a program that covers several aspects of transport infrastructure planning that is provided to city mayors and other decision makers. To date, T&I has concluded 34 events and trained over 1130 participants from 55 countries. The program includes online and face-to-face training with case studies and hands-on modules. A central message of the program is that Asset Management is one of the highest priorities. The program details how asset management involves undertaking a series of routine inspections, maintenance, overhaul and replacement activities for physical assets and systems over the lifetime of the asset. It also provides details on the stages of management, including the ability to collect the relevant data on a routine, replicable basis, and best practices on budgeting and financing asset management.
3c. T&I is developing an "ICR Explorer," a web tool that identifies lessons learned from past transport projects that have closed and been assessed. The attached link is for the pilot, now being implemented the launching of the tool is scheduled for September 2016. Teams can use the tool to search closed projects and inform the design of operations under preparation with lessons gleaned from ICR assessments. This tool provides a worldwide view of transport operations.
Link to ICR Explore:
http://globalpractices.worldbank.org/transportict/Pages/SitePages/ICR Explorer.aspx
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3A
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The review of all T&I projects approved in FY 16 indicate that of the 19 roads projects approved, 19 (100% of road approved projects) included a component or an allocation to support training needs in either (i) road asset management (ii) maintenance (iii) planning.
IEG acknowledges that a module on maintenance was included in the Leaders in Urban Transport Planning Program since August 2014. IEG understands that road projects usually include institutional strengthening activities including training to strengthening road asset management capacity of the road agencies in client countries. IEG notices that long-term performance based contracts are being more broadly used in the Bank's road projects to ensure that the road assets being maintained to meet the service standards. IEG seeks more specific information on the achievement level of the targets set for each action and related indicators.
WB Action 3.A: Road projects, particularly those with a focus on improved road asset management, normally include in the institutional strengthening components activities geared towards strengthening the planning and asset management capacity of the road agency, through the provision of funding for planning tools and systems (such as HDM), and relevant training for staff. FY 15 was a transition year as the GP structure was established, which included the creation of a Global Solutions Group for Road Asset Management and Rural Accessibility. This GSG will lead technical discussions pertaining to roads projects including those related to maintenance management, and is expected to provide technical support to teams designing new roads projects to ensure alignment with best practices on the subject. A monitoring framework to assess compliance with the proposed target in those applicable cases will need to take into consideration this new structure and the new role of the GSG (with support from the PMSO).
WB Action 3.B: The Urban Leaders Program has been done in various regions and languages, with a module on the allocation of resources for maintenance:
Time Location Language
August, 2014 18-23 Ahmedabad
September, 2014 21-27 Seoul
October, 2014 20-26 Ifrane (Morocco)
January, 2015 19-24 Singapore
February, 2015 22-28 Bogota
April, 2015 19-25 Dubai
May , 2015 Mexico city
May, 2015 31st-June 6th Marseille
WB Action 3.C: Achievement on this front includes an increased uptake of long-term performance based contracts in the road sector, whereby 5-10 year contract engagements financed by Bank operations promote maintenance of road segments over the contract period to ensure minimum service standards. Relevant lessons of experience on these longer term engagements have been reflected in the review carried out by the practice in 2012. Road Asset Management and Rural Accessibility GSG will play a key role in ensuring further progress and incorporating lessons of experience in future operations (with support from the PMSO).
IEG understands that the transport practice is in the process of adopting the recommendations provided by IEG. However, IEG seeks to understand to what extent the committed actions are being implemented. For example, in the agreed MAR action plan, key indicators had been defined, including âpercentage of highway projects including adequate training components in maintenance management and planningâ, âmodule on maintenance created and included in the Leaders in Urban Transport Planning programâ, and âcorporate review of past and ongoing programmatic operations to disseminate lessons of experience, to help identify opportunities for engaging in long-term programmatic relationshipsâ but the progress updates related to these actions have not been reported.
All actions described abore are underway with a particular effort on urban transport, which is the fastest-growing segment of the Transport portfolio.