Technical Assistance - TAU - National Treasury

More documents

Recommendations

Info

38 Case Studies of The National Treasury’s Technical Assistance Unit Chapter 5: eConomiC, investment & employment Cluster The review generated some interesting findings and noted various deficiencies that impacted negatively on the effective and efficient delivery of infrastructure by the provincial departments. The review made some important recommendations, the most significant being that a framework be developed to guide and structure the management of infrastructure delivery in the provinces. It also suggested that support be provided to the provinces in order to develop their capacity to manage, plan and sustain infrastructure delivery. As a result, the Infrastructure Delivery Improvement Programme (IDIP) was set up and the implementation of a pilot phase of the programme commenced in July 2004 and ended in July 2005. Partnerships were established to advance the programme, which involved the National Treasury and the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), and the National Department of Education and Department of Public Works (DPW). Discussion Thirteen TAs were appointed from the private sector to implement the IDIP in: • Nine Departments of Education (all provinces); • Two Departments of Health (Limpopo and Free State); and • Two Departments of Transport (Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal). Seven of these TAs were appointed by the TAU, using EU funding. According to Jan Koster, Programme Manager for the DBSA: “The IDIP is linked to the overall national goal of the government of South Africa promoting so-cioeconomic growth and development. If we can spend the money that has been allocated appropriately on the right type of infrastructure, we will surely address the poverty issue plaguing our country, so although it is an infrastructure development programme, it is also about alleviating poverty, promoting socio-economic development, and also about stabilising democracy in South Africa.” One of the main aims of the IDIP is to build capacity and provide systemic solutions and institutional development to the provinces, which by implication, positively affects service delivery and infrastructure development. In the pilot phase of the programme, extensive time and effort was put into developing the IDIP toolkit, which was created for the enhancement of infrastructure planning, programme management and budget planning. The TAs from the TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE | A Vehicle For Improving Government’s Performance
Case Studies of The National Treasury’s Technical Assistance Unit 39 TAU used the toolkit to improve the capacity of the Departments of Health, Education and Public Works, in order to improve service delivery. The toolkit and the support given by the TAs provided an increased awareness of the need for making infrastructure development a national priority. According to Malijeng Ngqaleni, Chief Director of Provincial and Local Government Infrastructure in the National Treasury: “The toolkit helped to standardise a very complex process. It provided the guidelines on how to plan for infrastructure delivery and helped everyone in the departments to understand the link between budgeting, PPM and procurement issues. The toolkit mapped out all these systems in great detail.” The Chief Director of Infrastructure Development at the National Treasury requested support from the TAU to assist with the implementation of Phase 2 of the IDIP rollout in 2005/06. To assist in this manner, an extensive assessment of the IDIP pilot phase was conducted in the form of a strategic review. Interviews were conducted with stakeholders associated with IDIP at national level for the assessment. The following recommendations emerged from the strategic review: • Establish a simpler governance model for the IDIP; • Develop monitoring and evaluation practices as a strategic management tool for the programme; • Maximise the IDIP comparative advantage and continue on the strategic path; • Develop a repository of learning; • Explore the extension of the programme with strategic local government/service delivery partners; and • Attain sustainability of the programme through provincial technical assistance teams. TAU Achievements Ms Ngqaleni also states: “The TAU’s assistance with identifying the challenges and then coming up with a set of recommendations was very helpful to the provincial departments. Through the technical assistance from the TAU, the recommendations were then implemented, helping to address the problems faced by departments. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE | A Vehicle For Improving Government’s Performance
Page 1: national treasury Department: Natio
Page 4 and 5: Disclaimer This publication has bee
Page 6 and 7: IT Information Technology JCPS Just
Page 8 and 9: 6.4 Correctional Services: Strategi
Page 10 and 11: 2 Case Studies of The National Trea
Page 18 and 19: 10 Case Studies of The National Tre
Page 92: NOTES

Technical Assistance - TAU - National Treasury

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?