Advanced Donor Funded Project Implementation-africa

Advanced Donor Funded Project Implementation

Advanced Donor Funded Project Implementation Techniques and Effective Contract Negotiation-Course Outline (Pretoria, South Africa)

Despite the huge volume of international support in development projects, it is argued that there is a chronic litany of challenges threatening the effectiveness of development projects. Donor funded projects involve objectives and deliverables with particular challenges at every stage. Thus planning, managing, implementing, reporting and evaluating, imply key aspects that should be taken into account. In the development cooperation setting, projects are collaboration systems that involve various partners and are based on the processes of negotiation in political, social and economic processes. The ultimate objective of development cooperation is to realise negotiated and measurable outcomes which address specific challenges in partner countries. Even though every loan or grant agreement provision can be negotiated in theory, in practice a borrower’s or grantee’s negotiating strength depends on its bargaining power. Thus, knowledge of the dynamics of funding and contract negotiation can greatly equip individuals in the face of the need to negotiate or to support those responsible for negotiating.

Course Description

This comprehensive course is very hands-on and interactive thus providing a step by step approach to project management with an emphasis on implementation and negotiation skills. It is expected that after the course participants will be able to better apply project implementation techniques and negotiation skills to ensure sustainable projects and programmes.

  • Project managers, officers, coordinators and administrators involved in project implementation
  • This training is open to all professionals who are involved in any stage of the project cycle or who have an interest in project management and contract negotiation

The course helps participants to:

  • Deepen understanding of implementation of donor funded projects
  • Appreciate the importance of every stage in the life cycle
  • Know the critical contributors to the success or failure of projects
  • Understand factors that influence achievement of successful implementation of projects
  • Stimulate their understanding of the intricacies of negotiation
  • Reinforce their current approaches to negotiation
  • Enhance negotiation skills through hands-on practical exercises
  • Know state of the art tools and techniques for strengthening their negotiating skills
  • Overview of project management
  • Implementation of donor funded projects
  • Critical determinants to the success or failure of projects
  • Complex network of stakeholders
    • Funding agency, implementing unit, the target beneficiary, etc
    • Importance of high managerial skills, team work, communication
  • The importance of every stage in the project life cycle
  • Prerequisites for successful project implementation
  • Project institutional capacity
  • Managing resources as a key component of success
  • Executing budgets properly
  • Conditions imposed by donors and implementation of donor funded projects
    • Adherence to procedures and guidelines
  • Procurement related factors and implementation of donor funded projects
  • Project planning and management skills and implementation of donor funded projects
  • Factors that could lead to the achievement of successful implementation of projects
  • Technical, structural and organisational behavioural constructs of project implementation
  • Risk management, organisational rationality and knowledge management
  • Risk identification, assessment and management in project implementation
  • The relationship between risk management and successful project implementation
  • The relationship between rationality and successful project implementation
  • The relationship between knowledge management and successful project implementation
  • Critical factors that can make or break a project

• Programme design

• Multiplicity of donors

• Balance of power between donor and host

  • Loan / grant negotiation and renegotiations
  • Review of proposed award budget
  • Negotiating the financing agreement
  • Assessing the terms and conditions in loan / grant agreements
  • Grant administration
  • The grant management life cycle
  • Key challenges in grant management
  • Changes to the scope of work and/or budget
  • Tips for negotiating a better package
  • When to negotiate
  • Objectives of negotiation
  • What are our negotiables?
  • What to do when the negotiation fails
  • Reaching a win-win agreement
  • Making changes to contracts
  • Why contracts have to change
  • How contracts change
  • Managing contract disputes
  • Alternative dispute resolution methods
  • Negotiating a settlement

The training approach is highly interactive. It uses a mixture of presentations by the facilitator and by participant(s), group or individual exercises, use of case studies and role plays. These proven learning techniques enhance understanding and retention of covered issues.