Carleton-based CGPM to work on large, high visibility projects in Africa and Asia.
Carleton-based CGPM to work on large, high visibility projects in Africa and Asia.
Snapshot:
The Center for Governance and Public Management (CGPM) at Carleton University has won (as part of the larger consortium led by Ottawa-based COWATER International) a bid to participate in UK Department for International Development (DFID) projects in Africa and Asia in several developmental areas such as public sector governance, public financial management, empowerment and accountability. The total value of the projects to be negotiated within DFID framework is approximately $10 million.
About the project:
In May 2011, DFID published its business plan for 2011–2015 which described the coalition government’s structural reform priorities. Key priorities in relation to this framework are to strengthen governance and security in fragile and conflict-affected countries, and to lead international action to empower girls and women. Effective governance is essential to achieve sustainable development results. There is considerable evidence that effective governance matters for development. Currently 17 of DFID’s priority countries lie in the bottom third of Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index and those countries most off-track in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) all fall down on the effective governance. Governments need sound public financial management, tax collecting strategies and fiscal spending priorities in order to provide services, and doing this in a way which enables citizens to hold them accountable.
Fragile and conflict affected states are furthest behind on the MDG with only 10 per cent of them on track to cut poverty and hunger in half by 2015. They represent 21 of DFID’s 28 footprint countries. Fragility has significant economic and social costs. As well as the human tragedy, armed conflict costs Africa around $18 billion per year. Making progress in fragile states to improve stability and advance MDG achievements is imperative to transform the lives of the world’s poor.
DFID has established a number of framework agreements covering the delivery of governance and security sector services for components of DFID bilateral programmes which may include much for the provision of public sector governance, public financial management, anti-corruption, security and justice reform, peace-building and state-building, and empowerment and accountability services. Each “Calldown Contract” under the framework agreements will be awarded to suppliers through a mini-competition.
This framework agreement will be awarded for two years with two possible extensions of 12 months each. Individual programmes to which contracts relate will typically be 3-5 year duration. The framework agreement will be subject to an annual review at the end of the first and second years. The geographic scope of the framework agreement is global and will include the 28 priority countries in Asia and Africa in which DFID has a bilateral programme.
The Framework Agreement will focus on priority countries where DFID intervention will have a measurable impact on governance and security outcomes. As a result of a competitive tendering, framework agreements have been made with sufficient suppliers to ensure competition within each lot.
Consortium Members:
• Cowater International Inc., Ottawa
• CRC Sogema Inc., Longueuil, Quebec
• Centre for Governance and Public Management of Carleton University, Ottawa
• Centre on Governance of the University of Ottawa
• Institute of Public Administration of Canada
• School of Public Policy and Governance of the University of Toronto