Kabul City Initiative (KCI) Quarterly Report: April 1 – June 30, 2011

KCI has embedded its project leadership and half its staff with the Mayor and his deputies at the Kabul Municipality, in each of the 22 districts, and in all of its operating departments. The KCI has made significant progress in the third quarter of implementation. Key achievements include the completion of a comprehensive evaluation of staff training needs and the preparation of the three-year Kabul Municipality Master Training Plan. This plan details training goals for the over 2000 staff in all 16 municipal departments and 22 district offices. High tech training centers were completed at City Hall and at the departments of Sanitation, Greenery, Streets, and Urban Planning. Two hundred and forty management and service delivery staff received training in one or more of the training centers. Nine infrastructure/service delivery projects have been completed, including canal cleaning, renovation and rewiring of the Parks, Streets, Greenery, and Sanitation departments, construction of KM bathrooms, and the rehabilitation of five KM training rooms. KCI solicited bids from local subcontractors for 37 kilometers of city streets, amounting to approximately $18.06 million that can be awarded in the fourth quarter. The KM Financial Management Information System was installed six months ahead of schedule. Significant progress has been made in efforts to complete a comprehensive three-year strategic KM plan for improvements in revenue generation, financial management, and property registration. The KCI has also made progress in improving the capacity of the Kabul Municipality to manage its resources. The three-year Kabul Municipality Master Training Plan was completed, and job descriptions were reviewed, revised, and standardized for 612 full-time municipal employees. First and second rounds of English and computer classes were completed in preparation for sixty KM staff to travel to the Project Management Institute in Istanbul, Turkey on July 10 for training and certification in international project management. The KCI has also made progress in improving the level and quality of services provided by the Kabul Municipality. Significant progress has been made in efforts to complete a comprehensive three-year strategic KM plan for improvements in revenue generation, financial management, and property registration. The KM Financial Management Information System was installed six months ahead of schedule, and nine infrastructure/service delivery projects have been completed. The KCI has also made progress in increasing the ability of the city to generate its own revenues to fund the increased level of services. KCI solicited bids from local subcontractors for 37 kilometers of city streets, amounting to approximately $18.06 million that can be awarded in the fourth quarter. The KM Financial Management Information System was installed six months ahead of schedule, and significant progress has been made in efforts to complete a comprehensive three-year strategic KM plan for improvements in revenue generation, financial management, and property registration. The KCI has embedded its project leadership and half its staff with the Mayor and his deputies at the Kabul Municipality, in each of the 22 districts, and in all of its operating departments. This has enabled the KCI to work closely with the Kabul Municipality to implement the KCI's goals and objectives. The KCI has also established a strong working relationship with the Kabul Municipality, which has enabled the KCI to provide effective support to the municipality in its efforts to improve the level and quality of services provided.