LON & N Creates World Bank Cell

All over the world, large amount of resources are deployed on various projects not only to increase existing capacities but also to create additional infrastructure. The World Bank with many multilateral agencies is funding around 100 Billion dollars for these projects. The project Procurement function of Works, Goods, and consultancy services play an important role in completing the projects on time, within the budgeted cost and to a desired level of quality. The implementation plans for procurement functions of implementing agencies are often confronted with problems and delays due to lack of trained personnel. The trained officials, if available, can cope up with and perform complex national and international procurement operations at every stage of the project in accordance with the guidelines and procedures of the funding agency. This has been identified as one of the major reasons for the delay in award of contracts, consequential time and cost overruns of the projects all over the world.

In order to assist borrowers to improve and speed up procurement operations LON & N has developed a cell to alleviate procurement bottlenecks through better understanding of the World Bank principles as applicable to various stages of the project. The world Bank Cell at LON & N has developed a programme in order to advice Project consultants which provides information on the principles and procedures to be followed by the borrowers while implementing World Bank Projects, based on their Guidelines and opportunities to listen to hands –on, operative experiences of practitioners.