終了時評価調査結果要約表（英文）I.

Outline of the ProjectCountry：LaosProject title：Project for Capacity Building in Public
Investment Program (PIP) Management

Issue/Sector：Governance

Cooperation

scheme ： Proposal-based

TechnicalCooperation Project
Division in charge：Laos Office
Dept.

Total cost：280,000 (thousand) yen

Division(R/D): 01/11/2004～31/10/2007

Periodof

Partner Country’s Implementing Organization ：Committee for Planning and Investment

Cooperation

RelatedCooperation ---Project：
１

Background of the Project

Committee for Planning and Investment (CPI) of the Government of Lao PDR has authority andresponsibility for the management of Public Investment Program (PIP), which is equivalent to aso-called development program in Laos. CPI provides advice for assessing and adopting new PIP
projects, monitor and evaluate PIP projects on a regular basis as well as verify the relevance of PIP
projects in each sector. However, the CPI and provincial Departments of Planning and Investment(DPI), which are a subordinate organization to the CPI, lack capacity for managing programs andprojects so that domestically funded the PIP and PIP projects are planned and implemented
arbitrarily. Also, it is unclear how much contribution the PIP has made to achieving overall goals in
the national-level development plan. Consequently, there is a huge gap between the nationaldevelopment plan and implementation of the PIP.
Under these circumstances, the Government of Lao PDR officially requested the Government ofJapan to assist with the Project for Capacity Building in Public Investment Program (PIP)
Management in 2003 (Hereinafter referred to as the Project). Based on the request, Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA) started providing assistance to the Government of Lao PDR
in November 2004 and implementing a proposal-based technical cooperation project for three years.
２Project Overview

The Project aims to strengthen the capacity of both Department of Investment Monitoring andEvaluation (DIME) and Department of General Planning (DGP) of the CPI in order for the CPI toassess, monitor and evaluate new and ongoing projects.
（１）Overall Goal
Effectiveness and efficiency of PIP planned and implemented by the Lao Government improve.
（２）Project Purpose
PIP Projects are appropriately appraised, monitored and evaluated/（３）Outputs
1. Appraisal, monitoring and evaluation method which are suitable to Laos are developed.
2. Staff at supervising agencies attain knowledge and skills for PIP management, appraisal,monitoring and evaluation.
3. PIP projects are managed under the newly developed methods at the designated monitor provinces
and ministry.
4. Organization-based coordination network in PIP management is established and functioning
appropriately.
（４）Inputs
Japanese side：( Total 280,000 (thousand) Yen)
Long-term Expert

0Equipment 10,670 (thousand)Yen

Short-term Expert

10

Local cost

Trainees received

0Others

41,343 (thousand) Yen--- (thousand) Yen

Laotian Side：Counterpart

11Land and Facilities
Local CostOthersII.

Equipment---provided by counterpart organization

unknown---Evaluation TeamMembers of Evaluation TeamMr. Koichi Takei, Team Leader, Deputy Resident Representative ofJICA Laos Office
Mr. Hideaki Matsumoto, Evaluation Planning, Assistant Resident
Representative of JICA Laos Office
Mr. Tatsuya Nishida, Project Evaluation, Consultant

Period of Evaluation

22/07/2007 ~ 10/08/2007

TypeofEvaluation ： Terminal

Evaluation
III. Results of Evaluation
１．Project Performance- Inputs and Outputs
Most of project outputs have been or are expected to be achieved by the end of the project in October2007. Specific achievements on each of project outputs are as follows:
Output 1 is expected to be fully achieved by the end of August 2007. All the manuals and handbook
expected have been or will be completed and distributed to all the departments concerned.
Output 2 has been fully achieved until now. Specifically, 15 staffs of the DIME and 6 staffs of the DGP
marked sufficient scores in the post-tests, received internal training of trainers, organized andimplemented various training and seminars.
Output 3 has been and is expected to be achieved partially by the end of August 2007. Currently, themeta-evaluation of the new methods suggests that more PIP projects of the monitor organizations
could be assessed, monitored and evaluated through the new methods. Also, the meta-evaluation findsthat the quality of assessment reports using SPAS still needs to be improved, since the quality of many
PIP project assessments were rated low.
Output 4 has been fully achieved until now. 4 annual seminars were successfully held from 2005 to2007. A PIP management is now being finalized and is expected to be incorporated in the manuals andhandbook, and distributed by the end of August, 2007.
- Project Purpose
9 of 19 middle-scale (Type 2) PIP projects under the responsibility of the monitor organizations wereprocessed in line with the "PIP Manual for Project Management" and were submitted to the National
Assembly in the 2007/08 fiscal year. Also, four inception or progress reports on Type 2 PIP projects inthe monitor organizations have been submitted until now in line with the manual. In addition, thenumber of PIP projects for the 2007/08 fiscal year, which were assessed and evaluated under themanual and utilized for programming PIP, increased from 0 in the 2005/06 fiscal year to 115 including
Type 1, 2, and 3 PIP projects in the 2007/08 fiscal year.
２Summary of Evaluation Results（１）Relevance
The Project has remained relevant to both the Laotian national development plans and the Japanese
Official Development Assistant (ODA) policy and program since the start until now. Also, the Project
meets the needs of direct beneficiaries of DIME, DGP, three monitor provinces and a ministry.
（２）EffectivenessThe project purpose has been only partially achieved while project outputs have been mostly achieved.
This is because the purpose is ambitious compared with outputs and activities of the Project and there
is a gap between the achievement of outputs and the attainment of the project purpose. The
development of the manuals and handbook, training staffs of DIME, DGP and three monitor
provinces, and holding annual seminars are necessary to build their capacity of assessment,monitoring and evaluation. But, building their capacity for only the three monitor provinces and themonitor ministry is insufficient for outputs to cause the accomplishment of the project purpose, which
covers the nationwide capacity of assessment, monitoring and evaluation.
（３）Efficiency
Overall, most of inputs were mobilized both properly and flexibly for this project in terms of thequantity, quality and timing of inputs. Note that the high level of motivation on the Laotian side is oneof the most significant factors for achieving most of intended outputs. Also, the combination ofworkshop-type training and on-the-job training (OJT) were found extremely effective and efficient,because they had multiple effects by applying what they learned in FT and ITT to daily work under
the supervision of a mentor through OJT. Also, an annual seminar was an effective tool for drawing
attention from high ranking officials to project activities as well as disseminating results of thetraining widely. Some specific suggestions on inputs are available in the report. The shift of theassembly session to June 2006 hampered the implementation of training for staffs concerned along thebudget formulation process for the 2006/07 fiscal year. Consequently, the Project was able toimplement only one cycle of training during the project period, although it initially expected toconduct two cycles.
（４）Impact
It is necessary to achieve the project purpose in order to achieve the overall goal. However, note that
achieving the project purpose does not automatically materialize the overall goal saying that
effectiveness and efficiency of PIP planned and implemented by the Lao Government improve. How toutilize the results of assessment, monitoring and evaluation is the next key for achieving the overall
goal. Also, the evaluation team found that the Project has started producing three positive unintended
impacts until now:First, some provinces are voluntarily extending the new assessment, monitoring and evaluation system
to the district level in some provinces.
Second, neighbouring provinces around the three monitor provinces requested CPI or the monitor
provinces to provide training of assessment, monitoring and evaluation methods to them.
Third, the CPI is voluntarily extending the new assessment, monitoring and evaluation system to otheroffices within the CPI than intended offices.
（５）Sustainability
Basically, policy, technical, organizational and personnel sustainability has made substantial progressuntil now, while a strategy for improving financial sustainability should be discussed and prepared forthe future. The Government of Lao PDR has demonstrated a strong policy commitment to introducing
a new assessment, monitoring and evaluation system to PIP (Prime Minister Decree 58 and a new PIP
management law to be formulated). Also, DIME and DGP has now sufficient human resources andorganizational capacity of continuing to train staffs of line ministries, provincial and even district
governments as well as conduct the new assessment, monitoring and evaluation methods, while DPIstaffs of the monitor provinces have developed their technical competency of conducting the newmethods, although they still need training in order to reach the capacity level of training otherprovincial and district officials. The evaluation team found that many officials of the Government of
Lao PDR pointed out financial difficulties when they provide training to provincial or district staffs.
The evaluation team would like to emphasize that the terminal evaluation gives a valuable opportunityof developing a strategy for financial sustainability of the new system for the future.
３．Factors promoted realization of effects（１）Factors concerning to Planning
The Project was well planned mobilizing the unique features and strength of Japanese technicalcooperation projects. Unlike other donor projects, this Project adopted an extremely practical andapplication-oriented approach. The trainings, especially the On-the-Job training, were the best
example, which were planned to be conducted according to the actual process of budget planning of
Lao government and were well combined On-the-Job Training as practice and Formal Training andIntensive Technical Training as theory.
（２）Factors concerning to the Implementation Process
High participation and ownership of Laotian counterparts and beneficiaries contributed to provide
good result to the Project. The Department of Investment, Monitoring and Evaluation, theDepartment of General Planning and departments of Planning and Investment in provinces
participated to create manual and trainings actively since the beginning of the Project.
４．Factors inhibited realization of effects（１）Factors concerning to Planning
One of the possible reasons why this Project might not be able to achieve the Project purpose andoutput is thought of as the Project purpose has been set too ambitious to complete in the project
period with planned input. Because capacity building is generally considered taking time to do, threeyears’ project period is thought of as too short to make capacity building model and disseminate thetechnique and knowledge across the whole country.
（２）Factors concerning to the Implementation Process
Changing of appraisal schedule of next year’s budget by National Assembly from October to Junecaused confusion and big changes of project implementation schedule because the project had beenplanned according to the budget planning process. This change reduced time of training, and itprovided negative impact on the achievement of output and project purpose because the main
component of the project for capacity building was training.
５．Conclusion

The Project purpose has been and is expected to be achieved partially or not completed by the end of
the Project, but it does not mean that the project is failure. In fact, the direction and approach of theproject are both reasonable. Therefore, it is important to expand project activities and output to allprovinces and ministries in order to achieve the Project purpose. It is expected to achieve the Project
purpose in the near future if CPI can continue those activities.
６．Recommendations（１）Use results of assessment, monitoring and evaluation more effectively and strategically. First,
these documents should be finalized and singed by the President of the CPI, and distributed to all thegovernmental agencies concerned by the end of September, 2007.
（２）Note that the new system could provide a government body with a powerful tool and authority
to take such strong measures as recommending, advising and enforcing the discontinuation andsuspension of projects, review and change of project scope, based on results of the assessment,monitoring or evaluation of PIP projects. It is recommended to seize the forthcoming opportunity offormulating a PIP bill to design these legal procedures in details.
（３）Continue training along the budget formulation process in the next fiscal year of 2008/09（４）Extend training to more ministries, provinces, and districts. Review and extend the use oftraining contents, manuals and handbook nationwide. Extend assessment, monitoring and evaluation
to large-scale (Type 1) PIP projects.
（５）Assess, monitor and evaluate official development assistance (ODA) projects and attempt to
conduct aid coordination（６）Be prepared to make long-term efforts to develop the capacity of assessment, monitoring andevaluation.
- It is recommended that CPI prepare and formulate a financial sustainability strategy forpost-project period by the end of this Project.
- Further develop the capacity of upgrading assessment, monitoring and assessment methods in thelong run.
- Develop a plan on how to cooperate with the Ministry of Finance (MOF) for the future, because
planning and preparing recurrent cost as well as capital expenditures for PIP projects concurrently isan effective way to improve the efficiency of the PIP.
７．Lessons Learned（１）Recognize and mobilize the strength of Japanese technical cooperation project. This Project
adopts an extremely practical and application-oriented approach. The On-the-Job training is the best
example, which many staffs interviewed highly appreciated and distinguished from other donor
projects.

（２）Develop, manage and update PIP management system with a special attention to the Laotian
needs and capacity. Although many donors have developed different kinds of manuals and handbooks,
the number of manuals and handbooks that were actually utilized and institutionalized is in fact small.
It is crucial to develop an assessment, monitoring and evaluation system, which Government of Lao
PDR can understand, use and update by themselves after the completion of the Project.
（３）Implement a project in accordance with the Laotian style of governance. Conducting project
activities in accordance with the Laotian style of governance is the most efficient. Generally, theGovernment of Lao PDR’s management is top-down. Also, provincial governors have strong power tomake decisions including those on PIP projects. Therefore, it is crucial to pay an attention to thesegeneral and regional governance features in order to prepare and implement project activities.
８．Follow-up Situation---