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SELECTION OF MUNICIPALITIES FOR THE DELTA PROJECT
June 02, 2006
OBJECTIVE
The selection process aims to identify municipalities that posses potentials for economic development and demonstrate commitment and capacities to actively engage in the DELTA project.
METHODOLOGY
The methodology makes use and combines:
- Desk research to define quantiative criteria(desired characteristics) for DELTA municipalities
- Site visits and municipal interviews
- Quantitative data collection from municipalities
- Consolidation of quantitative and qualitative data gathered
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PROCESS
a) Composition of the group carrying out the process
The DELTA team that carried out the selection process in Albania included representatives of the local and international organisations implementing the project. A representative of the Albanian Association of Municipalities (AAM) also joined the site visits into the candidate municipalities. It offered AAM the opportunity to strengthen its position towards its members and also provide advice to the DELTA selection team.
b) Steps of the selection process and associated tools
i. Define desired characteristics of the DELTA municipalities
Initially, desk research was performed by FLAG in close consultation with the LGI and WB experts, concerning the key characteristics sought for the preliminary selection of municipalities. Eleven characteristics were considered to provide a basis for assessing municipalities.
1) Data organised according to selected characteristics for selection of the candidate municipalities;
The aim of this document is to gather information about reasonably sized municipalities in the country. The information gathered was used to identify 10 candidate municipalities. The document contains the information gathered for each municipality before undertaking the site visits.
Ten municipalities were selected for site visits. The evaluation team looked for local governments that can
- Represent medium to large sized communities with economic potential
- Ensure an reasonable degree of local economic activity
- Enable a broad based geographic distribution of the project
- Avoid repetion of similar LED programs in the same municipality
- Make use of LED departments in their municipal structure
- Be reached within a reasonable travel time from Tirana
- Demonstrate willingness of private sector to partake in the process
ii. Quantitative data collection
Data collected from the municipalities: A description of the project was prepared for the municipalities in order to establish the first contact with DELTA related issues. An application form and a questionnaire for the local administration were also prepared to collect information on municipalities to be visited.
2) Description of the project for the municipalities;
This document contains a brief description of the DELTA project for the municipalities selected for interviews. This document gives comprehensive information about DELTA to candidate municipalities before the application procedure.
3) Application form for municipalities;
This is the application form for candidate municipalities. Responses to this application provided the basis to evaluate capacity and commitment of the municipalities towards the DELTA project.
4) Questionnaire for the local administration;
Questions in this document are posed to the local administration in the given municipality. Information is collected about (un)employment, LED experience, donor investments, local imdustry, access to credit, infrastructure, municipal structure and the relationship of the municipal offices with local businesses.
The information was requested and provided by the municipalities before the site interviews. Even the interest of the municipalities in providing the data was interesting to assess, and also gives hints about the general interest to implement project in the municipality.
FLAG also gathered quantitative information about the municipalities. The information collected was focused on municipal characteristics defined important for the selection process. Some alternative local and national sources used for information collection were:
- Publications of the Local government Association
- Publications of the National Institute of Statistics
- Statistics from the Ministry of Local Government and Decentralisation
iii. Municipal site visits and interviews
The evaluation group undertook site visits in the 10 candidate municipalities.
The site visits were designed to facilitate the ultimate selection of 5 municipalities by providing a chance to assess the commitment of the Mayor and his/her municipal staff.
5) Field mission itinerary for the selection of the municipalities;
This document provides the DELTA selection team with a detailed agenda of meetings and site interviews. It gives an overview of potential local players to meet during this specific stage of the project. The team was divided in 2 groups and a comprehensive and coordinated field mission itinerary was prepared.
The site visits organised in the municipalities were divided into three stages:
- meeting and discussions with the Mayor - in order to understand commitment for a process as intensive as LED planning; priorities of the municipal agenda; potential overlap with other donor-funded programmes or local initiatives; commitment of sufficient time from the relevant staff in the municipality; existence of a municipal department in the organisation that carries out LED tasks.
- meeting with relevant heads of municipal departments - to explain the LED process and assess their desire, interest and interaction as a team for streamlining an LED planning process; considering their workload at the moment and possibilities to carry out new assignments; enthusiasm in carrying out newly assigned tasks; previous experience with planning processes.
- site visits in city areas representing potentials for economic development initiatives.
The data gathered through desk research and site visits was collated into a singe form for every municipality.
6) Template for consolidating data for the candidate municipalities;
The decision for the partner municipalities is taken through a comparative approach of the evaluations of the candidate municipalities for participation in the DELTA project. The document contains the criteria taken in the consideration from the evaluation team for the final selection of the municipalities.
iv. Decision making phase
The evaluation commission took a preliminary decision on the municipalities to be selected for DELTA, by ranking them in a priority order. The final list was determined by FLAG, LGI and the World Bank. Five municipalities were invited to participate in program -- 2 were chosen as reserves but were never included in the project.
v. Communication with the candidate municipalities
A letter of acceptance and an agreement with partner municipalities was designed and submitted to the five selected municipalities. The agreement also re-confirms the composition of the core group in each municipality.
7) Letter of acceptance;
This is the congratulatory letter of acceptance to the program. A congratulatory letter from the Albanian Association of Municipalities was also delivered to the selected municipalities together with the letter of acceptance.
8) Agreement with partner municipalities; FIND Document
Agreements between FLAG and each partner municipality were prepared and signed. In these agreements the rights and obligations of the parties involved in the DELTA project are spelled out. The agreement stipulates the set up of the core group in the municipality as the very first step within the DELTA implementation. The composition of the core group is also described ensuring representation of the local business community.
9) Letter of reserves;
A letter for shortlisted but not initially selected municipalities was designed and submitted to two municipalities in case any of the selected municipalities would not successfully proceed with the DELTA activities.
10) Letter of rejection;
A letter of rejection was designed and submitted to the three visited candidate municipalities, which did not qualify to participate in the DELTA project.
c) Timeframe
Preparations for municipal selection started on 15 October and the final decisions were communicated to the municipalities by the end of December (two and a half months). The process took longer that anticipated due to a considerable delay of the announced official results of the local elections in many of the DELTA candidate municipalities. The site visits requested double arrangements with the outgoing Mayors and those entering office.
CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNED
The collection of accurate data is still a challenge in Albania. Several differences were identified between existing local and national statistics. FLAG had to use and quote more than one source for the data collected during the preliminary phase of selecting candidate municipalities. Alternative data sources can be: the municipalities themselves, the Ministry of Local government, the District and / or Regional Council, deconcentrated central government agencies, the National Institute of Statistics, the Local Government Association.
Site visits in municipalities turned out to be cumbersome due delays in announcing official local election results. Double arrangements with the Mayors leaving and potentially entering the office took a lot of efforts to arrange and put the Mayor in a peculiar position. Any DELTA replication should pay close attention to elections and changes in mandate when timing the project.
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