NDF joins the ADB’s Project Procurement Related Review in Cambodia

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is currently conducting a Project Procurement Related Review (PPRR) of two road transport projects in Cambodia which are co-financed by NDF. The projects, called the Rural Roads Improvement Projects (RRIP and RRIP II), aim to build and rehabilitate rural roads in a number of provinces in Cambodia, while at the same time building capacity with relevant national and local authorities to manage the road assets and design proper roads, taking into consideration current and future climate change impact. Paved roads are important for the local communities to access, for instance, markets, health care and schools, and contribute to economic and social development in rural areas.

During a PPRR, the ADB works with its client, in this case the Ministry for Rural Development (MRD) in Cambodia, to assess its procurement processes, and reviews a number of contracts from the start of the procurement process through to implementation. The reviews include interviews with MRD staff, a thorough examination of all relevant documentation, and physical asset inspections including interviews with end-users. ADB can also provide integrity training to client staff during the PPRR. The aim of the PPRRs is to identify areas where ADB clients may benefit from additional capacity development and support. The bank can also use the results to look over its own procedures and make improvements.

NDF joined the PPRR in order to learn from the ADB Office of Anticorruption and Integrity (OAI) how they conduct these reviews in order to further develop NDF’s own procedures relating to support in and monitoring of procurement and integrity-related matters that remain high on the agenda for NDF as well as its co-financiers.