Community Engagement

Community buy-in and support may be difficult to gain, but both are essential. Small communities, especially in hard-to-reach or rural areas, may have limited information, suffer from low literacy, or do not communicate with government agencies based in metropolitan areas. Without adequate outreach and engagement, community members may view the disruption created by large infrastructure programs as against their interests. This loss of goodwill increases risk. Once a community accepts the project, the dialogue must continue, addressing new issues as they arise to prevent or mitigate conflict. The continuous outreach also helps address short-term losses that may occur, such as of land or homes. Well-planned infrastructure development projects address community priorities that should be identified through outreach, dialogue, and participatory needs assessments. Employment of local staff whenever possible improves the adaptation of the COCB approach to the particular project. Some strategies to engage communities include:

• Outreach and dialogue with community leaders
• Hiring and training of community project representatives
• Inclusion strategies to broaden community ownership and support
• Conflict mitigation to address issues as they arise
• Information sharing and media campaigns
• Comprehensive community needs assessments
• Small grants programs to address gender, livelihoods, and small infrastructure needs
• Processes to redress land acquisition
• Procedures to ensure compliant disbursement of funds
• Rigorous monitoring and evaluation and reporting procedures
 

Meeting the Government's Needs

Building a nationwide transportation or energy network requires access to information and expertise in planning and management. While donor funding is important, government must also have adequate oversight capacity to maximize the benefits and maintain the public facilities. To strengthen this capacity, the following processes should be considered:

• Baseline and gap analysis within government oversight organizations
• Partnering, mentoring, and shadowing for knowledge transfer
• Relationship building with stakeholders and associations
• Policy advisory services, including planning and risk assessment
• Training in management and specific construction disciplines
• Training in use of industry-standard software and technology

Addressing Private Sector Needs

In many emerging markets, construction contracting firms are newer businesses are competing in rapidly growing markets. While the capacity of these firms is increasing and leaders are emerging, many require ongoing support. To succeed over the long term, local contractors must complete progressively larger and more complex projects. This can be facilitated by advising donors and prime contractors on how to adapt the tender process to the capacity of the region or country. In addition, linkages to other donors and stakeholders can fill in gaps, for example, in access to banking services, credit, and insurance. Some of the following additional strategies can help increase private sector capacity in such contexts:

• Training programs in collaboration with trade associations and technical facilities
• Internships for university students in design, construction, quality assurance, and project controls
• Development of construction vocational training centers
• Training classes in design, scheduling, quality assurance, and management
• Contracting for on-the job experience
• Provision and training in use of industry-standard software
• Alternate contracting strategies that address risk and ensure the scope of work is achievable
• On-the-job mentoring and partnerships
• Provision of community outreach and support to ensure successful project completion

Targeted Capacity Building

In Afghanistan, where the construction industry had seriously atrophied as a result of conflict, the COCB model was applied on a large road and bridge construction project. Donors and contractors were challenged by the high-risk environment and the low technical and managerial capacity of local firms, and the government was challenged to develop, complete, and maintain projects. A variety of tailored tools and training programs helped meet these needs. As a result, the capacity of government to budget, plan, and oversee infrastructure construction greatly increased. In addition, dozens of local firms now have the ability to bid on, manage, and complete complex infrastructure construction projects. These tools and training programs included:

• On-the-job mentoring for design-build contracts to local firms
• Creation of a construction trade vocational school
• Development of a mentor-protégé program to train local staff in various job skills
• Training of subcontractors in construction methodology and contract and financial management
• Training of technical monitors in quality assurance and field monitoring
• Design of labor-intensive construction programs for combat-aged men
• Provision of long-term advisory services and mentoring to government ministries
• Development of a GIS-based monitoring system to track projects country-wide
• Development of an internship program for university engineering students