Evaluation report for vehicle maintenance center project

Special evaluation covers the period 8/81-8/83 and is based on document review, indepth interviews, and a site visit. The project is seriously off target and all three parties - the General Syndicate of Land Transport (GSLT), RCA (the contractor), and USAID/E - are deeply disappointed. No workers have been trained (200 were targeted for this date); only 9 of 22 instructors for the Center have received U.S. training; only 6 of 15 courses have been completed; and customs problems have allowed only two of eight shops to be completely equipped. The GSLT, which even now does not seem to understand the contract, has not provided a full-time Center director as counterpart to the RCA Chief of Party (COP) and has in effect abandoned responsibility for the project. The GSLT has seriously hurt implementation by rejecting RCA's original training curricula (prepared using a methodology agreed to in the contract) and by failing to: complete Center construction before RCA's arrival; provide incentives adequate to attract and maintain instructors; and involve bus and truck company management in course development. In its turn, RCA's record regarding procurement (e.g., sending 110V instead of 220V equipment), fellowship training, and curriculum development has hardly been exemplary. Although RCA was forced to abandon the methodology contracted for, it is now using off-the-shelf U.S. materials which seem to be above the reading level of the potential trainees and require 30-40% revision. U.S. training of Center instructors by RCA has had meager results due to trainees's lack of comprehension of English. With some direction, RCA's performance could have been much better. Although the USAID/E project officer was to spend 40% of his time on this project and despite early warning signals, little was done to pressure the GSLT into action; USAID/E's role seems to have been dominated by expediency and by sensitivity to the GSLT. The only strong push for action came from the first COP - who was dismissed by the GSLT. This teaches the need for USAID to fill management gaps left created host agencies.