ECOFISH Quarterly Progress Updates First Quarter – Year 1

The report outlines the project's monthly calendar of activities and highlights important accomplishments and priority implementation issues. In July 2012, the ECOFISH team conducted a proposal to implementation handover meeting, where the proposal team and project management team transferred knowledge on proposal background, staffing, budget, client and partner expectations, challenges, and opportunities. The team also met with SSG Alliance and Microsoft on the White Spectrum Microsoft Alliance Concept and held introductory meetings with Microsoft, SSG, and Tt-ARD to introduce the ECOFISH project and discuss public-private partnerships. In August 2012, the ECOFISH team welcomed the Tetra Tech ARD home office team in the Philippines, who met with the ECOFISH Philippine team to discuss immediate start-up activities. The team also drafted the Life of Project (LOP) Work Plan, met with USCTI – Program Integrator on areas of collaboration, and conducted courtesy calls and meetings with OEECC of USAID/Philippines and PRIMEX, team partner and sub-contractor of the project. The ECOFISH team also established a temporary office at the Robinson Summit Center in Makati and conducted site visits to the VIP Passage site and the ECOFISH home office team. Key team personnel workshops were held to refine the elements of the ECOFISH Project, deliberate and improve statement and description of individual deliverables, and agree on immediate next steps to finalize the LOP for submission to USAID. In September 2012, the ECOFISH team finalized the draft Life of Project Work Plan, Year 1 Work Plan, and Project Monitoring Plan and submitted them to USAID/Philippines. The team also provided technical support and advice to BFAR and the Sardine Technical Working Group (TWG) during the consultation with the industry for the proposed close season for sardines in the Moro Gulf and Southern Sulu Sea. Important accomplishments of the quarter include finalizing and submitting the draft Life of Project Work Plan, Year 1 Work Plan, and Project Monitoring Plan to USAID/Philippines, developing concept papers for Microsoft PPP and PACPI/NFI PPP, and finalizing and signing sub-contracts with PRIMEX, SSG, and REECS. Priority implementation issues for the quarter include presenting the Life of Project (LOP) Work Plan to partners, particularly to BFAR, in a round of planning workshop and finalizing and presenting it to USAID before the end of November 2012. The Year 1 Annual Work Plan and the Project Monitoring Plan will also need to be adjusted to conform with the final version of the LOP Work Plan.