PROJECT MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS


1. Executing Agencies
Project management arrangements are similar to CDC1. In each country, MOH is the Executing Agency (EA) responsible for project oversight, administration, and integration.
In Cambodia, the EA is represented by the Health Sector Support Program (HSSP) secretariat in MOH, with the Secretary of State as the Project Director, who reports to the health sector steering committee for Health Sector Support Program (HSSP) chaired by the Minister of Health.
In the Lao PDR, the EA is represented by the Department of Planning and Finance (DPF) in MOH, with the Deputy Director General of DPF as the Project Director, who reports to the MOH Steering Committee chaired by the Minister of Health.
In Viet Nam, the EA is represented by the General Department of Preventive Medicine (GDPM) in MOH, with the director general or deputy director general GDPM, as the Project Director, who reports to the MOH Steering Committee for ADB funded projects chaired by the Vice Minister of Health for Preventive Services.

2. Project Management and Implementation
Central departments, national institutions and targeted provincial health departments or equivalent serve as implementing agencies (IAs). Coordinating IAs provide day-to-day project management in each country; regional cooperation, cooperation with provinces and concerned departments and institutions, and liaison with ADB and other partners.
In Cambodia, the Communicable Diseases Control Department (CDCD) in MOH is the coordinating IA. The Director CDCD is the Project Manager. The existing CDC1 Project Management Unit (PMU) in the coordinating IA will be continued for day-to-day project implementation. The National Center for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control and 10 provincial health departments will also serve as IAs.
In the Lao PDR, the DPF in MOH closely collaborates with the Department of Hygiene and Prevention. A Deputy Project Director in DPF will assist the Project Director in day-to-day project coordination and management, including administration. The existing CDC1 project management unit (PMU) will continue with project administration and coordination. The National Center for Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology, the National Center for Laboratory and Epidemiology and 12 provincial health departments will also serve as IAs.
In Viet Nam, the existing CDC1 Project Management Unit (PMU) in GDPM in MOH will continue with project administration, coordination and implementation of some activities. Two Deputy Project Directors in GDPM will assist the Project Director in day-to-day project coordination and management, including administration. The National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, the Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Highlands; the Pasteur Institutes of HCMC and Nha Trang; and 20 provinces—16 border provinces for all outputs and 4 additional provinces (from CDC1) for outputs 1and 3—will serve as IAs. The National Institute of Malaria, Parasitology and Entomology and the Institutes of Malaria, Parasitology and Entomology in HCMC and Qui Nhon will provide technical assistance.
At provincial level, the provincial health department (PHD) will be the designated project implementation units (PIUs). There are 42 provincial IAs in total; 10, 12 and 20 in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Viet Nam, respectively. There are up to 3 positions in each PIU to be financially supported by the Project in each province, depending on the workload. This includes a provincial project coordinator, a technical officer and an account assistant. If the PIU is unable to provide a suitably qualified accountant, or the PHD accountant is already managing the financial accounts of other projects, the position should be contracted externally from the market place.



In CDC2, institutions will be assigned to work as national IAs to provide technical support to the project via contracting arrangements. Relevant training courses in project management, procurement and financial management will be conducted to build capacity for the whole project management system, from central to provincial level.
In the CLV, all project activities will be fully incorporated into the government planning cycle of each country and province. Based on the project design and actual needs, each PHD will prepare an annual project workplan and budget as part of the annual operational plan (AOP) and budget for review and approval by appropriate authorities at provincial and central level.
Similarly, PMUs will prepare the national workplan and budget based on consultation with the provinces and incorporation of provincial workplans, obtain relevant approvals from the EA and incorporate these into the national AOPs. These annual workplans and budgets will be submitted to MOHs, core ministries, and ADB for approval and/or concurrence. In Cambodia and Viet Nam, the annual work plans and budgets should be approved before 15 December, if not sooner, while in Lao PDR, these approvals should be done before 15 September, if not sooner.
Most of the project specific activities at both PMU and PIU levels should be planned through participatory methods, except those that are fixed during project design and loan and grant negotiations. Consultation should be with relevant agencies, not only in MOHs or PHDs but also other ministries and partners engaged in similar activities, as required. As CDC2 has a regional focus, PMUs and PIUs are encouraged to share project specific workplans. Annual planning workshops at provincial and national levels for these activities are provided in the project design. Director PMU and PIU/PPMU can adjust the budget for activities in case the planned amount does not exceed 10% of the planned budget for activities under their authority.
Under CDC2, output 1, expanded surveillance and response systems, will support an emergency fund at both national and provincial levels, to be managed by PMUs and PIUs. Key activities financed by this budget line include: “immediate response to investigate an outbreak and confirm a plan of action if the investigation is confirmed, and to allow staff to take immediate action to prevent or minimize the spread of the outbreak”. Because these kinds of activities cannot be planned in advance, it requires a more flexible spending mechanism. In addition, the national level will also be able to respond to outbreak investigation and response in other provinces that are not included in CDC2.

3. Regional 

The CDC Regional Steering Committee (RSC) will be a continuation of the existing RSC under CDC1 with a RSC meeting every year or more often as needed, with the hosting rotated among the three countries. The regional CDC RSC is advisory in nature and will give guidance in project implementation, policy dialogue, and the building of regional capacity and cooperation for CDC, and will facilitate country decisions on the use of pooled funds for regional activities. It will be chaired by the minister or vice-minister of the host country and will consist of representative of MOH of the CLV countries, ADB and WHO. Representatives from other GMS countries and partners are invited as "observers". The RCU will act as the secretariat for regional coordination activities, promotion and conduct of knowledge management activities, and the management of regional fund. The RCU will be financed from the regional pool. It will be led by the knowledge management expert for the Lao PDR, and also have an accountant, an IT specialist, and an administrative assistant. In terms of regional coordination of the Project, Project managers will also meet every 6 months or more often as needed, to follow up on agreements of the steering committee. Download Project Organogram