We are pleased to present this book which showcases ... - WSP Group

Bangladesh emerged from its war of independence in 1971 with a
shattered infrastructure and a large and impoverished population.
Its recovery has been largely dependent upon its transport
infrastructure.With considerable external assistance, Bangladesh
has developed a major highway network of over 20 000 km of main
roads incorporating 10 000 bridges.This network is now contributing
significantly to a sustained economic growth and a gradual
improvement of social conditions.
WSP has been working since the late 1970s on developing the land
transport sector in Bangladesh. Since 1994,WSP has provided
extensive management and technical assistance as lead consultant to
the Bangladesh Roads and Highways Department (RHD), as part of
a Department for International Development (DFID) funded project
known as Institutional Development Component (IDC) of the World
Bank’s Road Rehabilitation and Maintenance Project (RRMP).
WSP has matched DFID’s long-term commitment to support the
transport sector in Bangladesh with its own corporate and personal
commitment.The project benefits in every respect from the direct
personal knowledge and deep insight of the real issues in Bangladesh
of our most senior managers and advisers.As a team, we have
become fully “embedded” into the government’s organisation.The
appointment of senior Bangladeshi consultants onto the WSP team
has helped us gain access to decision makers and opinion formers,
both in the public and private sector. Over the years this has enabled
the project to achieve policy change at national level.
In an independent review of around 200 World Bank projects, RRMP
was rated the highest and the IDC was specifically mentioned as best
practice. IDC has resulted in the delivery of a pragmatic national
transport environment for Bangladesh, reflecting modern social,
economic and environmental conditions, to enable future
sustainability in terms of both investment and management.With
modern management information systems, a management plan, and
the technical procedures and manuals in place, the RHD is moving
towards a position of being able to manage the national road
network independently. Furthermore, Bangladesh will have the
beginning of a dedicated Road Maintenance Fund, designed to secure
adequate funding from the public as well as the private sector for
maintenance essential for the long term preservation of the network.
Our large multi-national and multi disciplinary team provides a broad
range of technical services to RHD and related institutions:
■ Organisational restructuring of RHD, which has some 15,000 staff;
■ Assistance in the formulation of new standards and guidelines in
technical, environmental and social areas;
■ Establishment of a comprehensive management information
system including nationwide road and bridge condition databases;
■ Training, with the creation of a dedicated RHD Training Centre;
■ Improved procedures for budgeting and accounting;
■ Preparation for the creation of a Road Maintenance Fund
for Bangladesh;
■ Formulation of National Land Transport Policy;
■ Establishment of a Transport Sector Coordination Wing in the
Planning Commission.
As an add-on to the main programme,WSP was recently
requested by DFID to manage and monitor its contribution
to emergency support for road rehabilitation following the
2004 flooding. Our deep insight into RHD’s operation led
to praise for the DFID programme, in terms of the speed
and quality of its response and the value for money
achieved. Commenting on the input of our WSP consultant,
DFID wrote:“The lessons you learned and communicated
have influenced DFID Bangladesh’s thinking on how to
improve value for money.”
Project:
Institutional Development Component (IDC), IDC2, IDC3 and CIDC3 of the
Road Rehabilitation and Maintenance Projects, RRMP2 and RRMP3
Client:
Roads & Highways Department, Ministry of Communications
Planning Commission, Ministry of Planning, Bangladesh
Funding:
Department for International Development, UK
Status:
Current phase due for completion March 2006
WSP services:
Managing organisational change
Technical assistance
Policy formulation
Financial management
Training planning, management and delivery
Establishment of management information systems
Design and introduction of management systems
63