Project in development and the environment (PRIDE)

The evaluation covered the period FY 90-7/93. There are no major flaws in either project design or management, and the project is serving the needs of the four target countries (Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan). Chemonics, the core contractor, has assembled an outstanding group of subcontractors and has undergone major shifts in key personnel without any great impact on morale or performance, although it is increasingly evident that support staff are overextended. Also, despite sincere efforts, Chemonics has been unable to involve NGOs in its project activities. Chemonics is making efforts to improve coordination with its subcontractors; tension exists in interpreting USAID regulations and consultant maximum daily rates. The level of effort under the core contract has been reasonably spread among the four target countries. The quality of the TA provided under the core contract has been very good and has included support for USAID"s Environmental Strategy Framework and the ANE Bureau"s Environmental and Natural Resources Strategy. Chemonics has also provided timely and effective assistance to Missions under the Q-contract (Mission buy-ins). Interventions have shown sensitivity to host countries" institutional structure, although the sustainability of recommended programs and policy initiatives is not always clearly addressed. TA reports produced under the Q-contract show a high level of detail, but sometimes lack a clear methodology for implementing recommendations. Finally, environmental audits under the World Environment Center cooperative agreement do not always provide enough time to collect sufficient data, and the audit reports often fail to provide sufficient information for plant managers. Key recommendations are to: significantly increase activity in the areas of strategic planning and policy analysis; improve coordination among the various project implementation units; increase focus on regional programs; and assess the administrative burdens of Q-contract buy-ins. The primary lesson learned is that Missions are increasingly more dependent on the services provided by projects such as PRIDE. Most people, including the PRIDE project manager, believe that this is the result of personnel cutbacks at the field level.