Microsoft Word pcr uzb public Finance Management Reform Project Final 7Sept2017. docx

I. 
Consultant Recruitment and Procurement 
27. 
The loan was supposed to finance the recruitment of an IT and procurement adviser, but 
the executing agency decided not to use external assistance in 2011 and this engagement did 
not proceed. The project financed procurement of goods and services (details are provided in 
paras. 12–17). In total three contracts for a total amount of $6.2 million were awarded following 
international competitive bidding procedures. The project also engaged the PMO staff and 
financed its daily expenditures to administer the project. The PMO manager was appointed by 
PSG, while other staff was hired on competitive basis following ADB guidelines. The PMO 
budget was regularly reviewed by ADB.
J. 
Performance of Consultants, Contractors, and Suppliers 
28. 
The completion report (footnote 19) discussed the performance of the TA consultants. 
The ADB loan financed contracts with three suppliers,
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whose delivery of goods and provision 
of services followed the contract schedule with no substantial delays. All suppliers performed 
satisfactorily. 
K. 
Performance of the Borrower and the Executing Agency 
29. 
The performance of the PMO, the borrower, and the executing agency on loan 
administration is 
less than satisfactory
. Higher ownership of the reform process and regular 
engagement with ADB did not result in timely project implementation. Issues that contributed to 
significant delay were the (i) 5.3-month wait between loan approval and loan signing; (ii) 
changes in the packaging arrangements that contributed to late procurement, starting only in 
December 2009; (iii) conflict between government and ADB procurement guidelines, which 
required the government to adjust its procedures during the procurement process; (iii) lack of 
coordination of procurement activities between (a) the PMO and the executing agency; and (b) 
the executing agency’s bidding committee, whose membership comprised government officers 
who were not made available to attend meetings related to project procurement; and (iv) 
frequent changes in PMO staff. The combination of these factors slowed procurement 
significantly, ultimately delaying the implementation of the project and resulted in some changes 
to the design after the loan was closed. 
30. 
At the same time, ownership by the borrower and the executing agency of the PFM 
reform process is commendable. It demonstrated their commitment to meet their overarching 
goal of implementing PFM reforms successfully, resulting in the commissioning of the 
government-tailored GMFIS in 2017. The borrower and the executing agency achieved major 
reform agenda items needed to ensure the efficient execution of the treasury budget. The 
treasury system is now well established and operational. Changes to the legal framework are 
being gradually introduced and the government is moving forward with its long-term PFM 
strategy to improve the PFM system. Considering that policy reforms are sometimes key to the 
20
Online Datensystems GmbH (Germany); Huawei International Pte. Ltd (People’s Republic of China); and Shanghai 
Electric Import & Export Co., Ltd. (People’s Republic of China). 

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future success of the government’s initiatives and ownership of the process and actions taken 
by the borrower and the executing agency, the overall performance was evaluated 
satisfactory
.