In August 2014 the Public Integrity and Openness Department (PIO) of the Governance Global Practice (GGP) established a Task Force to design a comprehensive and actionable strategy to rebalance implementation support and institutional development and capacity building. The Transition Strategy is a culmination of dialogues, contributions, and advice from World Bank colleagues.
It is bold and ambitious while remaining grounded in reality and what is feasibly possible. It seeks to demonstrate that procurement is a powerful tool that, when executed well, can have profound, positive repercussions for governance and inclusive economic growth in countries. The Transition Strategy envisions that this will be realized through mainstreaming four Transformational Engagements and creating Global Talent Pools (GTPs).
The ideas set forth in the Transition Strategy are under the backdrop of the four trends at the World Bank: the new twin goals, the new structure which allows for a global approach, the emphasis on output and results-based aid, and the new Procurement Policy Framework. This is an opportune time to implement the Transition Strategy!
The Task Force developed four Transformational Engagements, or thematic areas, that are of high impact and unmet client demand. The Transformational Engagements are Professionalization of Procurement; Performance Measurement and Data Analytics; e-Procurement and Value from Innovation; and Open Contracting.
For these to be truly ‘transformational’ they need to be operationalized in projects to ensure a more sustainable approach to capacity building and institutional development.
Global Talent Pools will be comprised of staff with technical expertise in certain thematic areas who will be deployed either physically or virtually on an as-needed basis to help projects overcome obstacles.
The thematic areas will be determined with due consideration of the needs and demands of the GPs. The technical skills needed will likely align with those of the Transformational Engagements but will be adjusted as needed.
Engagement with the GPs at the technical and senior level is critical to informing which thematic areas the GTPs will include and to mainstreaming Transformational Engagements.
For the GPs, working on these issues can result in better delivery of projects, since both are aimed at improving procurement in client countries. And, how well procurement works in a client country has a direct impact on how successful a project is delivered.
Operationalizing the Transformational Engagements and creating Global Talent Pools, and making sure that they are mainstreamed in Bank projects, will result in a wholesale, sustainable approach.
Stay tuned for more updates and the positive impact we’re having!
Join the Conversation