Appraisal Mission on Bregalnica River Basin Management Project

Brief Description of Main Deliverables/Outputs:
Global objective The appraisal mission shall determine all needed information for the SECO management to take the final decision on project financing. The appraisal report should also serve as a basis for the negotiation of the project agreement with the Macedonian Government on the BREGALNICA RIVER BASIN MANAGEMENT PROJECT, as well as to define important elements for the Terms of Reference for the implementation consultants. This implies that the results of the appraisal report give a clear picture of the contributions required from both Swiss and Macedonian governments for a successful project implementation. The results shall be prepared in a way that they can be used directly during the negotiation of the project agreement. In particular, the appraisal report should specify which decision should be made by which bodies at what time during project implementation. The report shall also clearly define the roles and responsibilities of all key actors, including SECO, MoEPP, the local authorities and others. Specific objective To achieve this overall objective, the Appraisal Mission shall accomplish the following concrete targets: 1. To review the technical concept for establishment and functioning of the river basin management bodies and fund for individual water infrastructure projects in the river basin. 2. To verify and adjust project costs in order to specify the budget. 3. To prepare project organization structure including all key stakeholders and to define the principles of cooperation during implementation. 4. To propose an approach for an effective participation in the sector policy dialogue. 5. To propose collaboration with other activities in the field of river basin management

Role on the Assignment

The scope of work of the consultant included expert analysis, conclusions and recommendations including:

1. Technical Assessment: Existing documents (technical documents, papers regarding risks, beneficiaries, output, etc., with a respective appraisal) were analyzed and log framework plan for the project was prepared.

2. Legal and Institutional Assessment: Legal documents (laws, treaties, EU Directives) and institutional aspects were analyzed and adequate organization of the River Basin Management Body proposed;

3. Assessment of the River Basin Infrastructure Investment Fund: A review of the proposed funding and implementation mechanisms (from the Supplementary Investigation on Funding Report) for individual water infrastructure projects was conducted and a new mechanism was proposed; Specified administration of the fund.

4. Analysis of Project Budget and Procurement Procedure: Conducted assessment of project costs and project budget; procurement lots and procurement procedures proposed.

5. Proposal for Project Organization: Drafted a proposal for project organization structure and principles of cooperation during implementation, taking into consideration involvement of all key actors.

6. Analyze the Feasibility of Policy Dialogue: A proposal was produced on how to start a sector policy dialogue on integrated water management local and national level.

7. Drafting important Elements for Technical Assistance for the Implementation Consultant: Proposed important elements for the Technical Assistance for consulting services to accompany the project implementation.

Other activities conducted:

Data collection for the preparation of the team’s mission in Macedonia,

Organization of the team’s mission in Macedonia,

Participation to the team’s mission in Macedonia,

Data collection and assessment all along the project,

Assistance to the team members when the local knowledge of water management aspects is required.