The nature and extent of community participation in Bank-financed social sector projects has chan... more The nature and extent of community participation in Bank-financed social sector projects has changed significantly over the years. While initially, community participation was limited to provision of voluntary labor by communities, or participation of Non-Governmental Organizations in capacity building exercises, it now actively involves communities in the design and implementation of projects. Consequently, communities are increasingly involved in procurement related activities as actual recipients and controllers of project funds. As a reflection of this increasing empowerment of communities and devolution of financial control to the community level, the recently issued World Bank Procurement Guidelines (1995) explicitly permit more flexible procurement mechanisms in social sector projects with community participation. Designing procurement and disbursement mechanisms in projects with community participation is, however, a complex task. Committees associated with World Bank social sector projects often live in remote and rural areas. They have weak institutional and financial capacities. They do not use banking fadilities and operate in micro scales of economies. How do such community groups enter into contracts? How does the project disburse funds when community groups cannot access bank facilities? Further, increased flexibility in the use of funds clearly denotes the need for increased accountability. How does the project ensure the joint liability of a community group for the use of funds? In these circumstances, project designers need guidance on mechanisms for community participation. This Manual provides a preliminary tool for project designers wishing to involve communities in procurement. It not only identifies issues commonly faced by project designer.s, but actually takes a project designer through the important steps in procurement planning. While the Africa Technical Department initiated the preparation of this Manual, it has been developed in close coordination with the Regional Procurement Advisor's Office and the Africa Disbursements Division of the Loan Department. A number of World Bank staff have also contributed, sharing experiences and providing detailed comments. We would like to thank them for their valuable inputs.
Discussion Papers present results of country analysis or research that are circulated to encou:ra... more Discussion Papers present results of country analysis or research that are circulated to encou:rage discussion and comment within the development community. The typescript of this paper therefore has not been prepared in accordance with the procedures appropriate to formal printed texts, and the World Bank accepts no responsibility for errors. Some sources cited in this paper may be informal documents that are not readily available. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the author(s) and should not be attributed in any manner to the World Bank, to its affiliated organizations, ot to members of its Board of Executive Directors or the countries they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data. included in this publication and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this volume do not imply on the part of the World Bank Group any judgment on the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. The material in this publication is copyrighted. The World Bank encourages dissemination of its work and will normally grant permission promptly.
The nature and extent of community participation in Bank-financed social sector projects has chan... more The nature and extent of community participation in Bank-financed social sector projects has changed significantly over the years. While initially, community participation was limited to provision of voluntary labor by communities, or participation of Non-Governmental Organizations in capacity building exercises, it now actively involves communities in the design and implementation of projects. Consequently, communities are increasingly involved in procurement related activities as actual recipients and controllers of project funds. As a reflection of this increasing empowerment of communities and devolution of financial control to the community level, the recently issued World Bank Procurement Guidelines (1995) explicitly permit more flexible procurement mechanisms in social sector projects with community participation. Designing procurement and disbursement mechanisms in projects with community participation is, however, a complex task. Committees associated with World Bank social sector projects often live in remote and rural areas. They have weak institutional and financial capacities. They do not use banking fadilities and operate in micro scales of economies. How do such community groups enter into contracts? How does the project disburse funds when community groups cannot access bank facilities? Further, increased flexibility in the use of funds clearly denotes the need for increased accountability. How does the project ensure the joint liability of a community group for the use of funds? In these circumstances, project designers need guidance on mechanisms for community participation. This Manual provides a preliminary tool for project designers wishing to involve communities in procurement. It not only identifies issues commonly faced by project designer.s, but actually takes a project designer through the important steps in procurement planning. While the Africa Technical Department initiated the preparation of this Manual, it has been developed in close coordination with the Regional Procurement Advisor's Office and the Africa Disbursements Division of the Loan Department. A number of World Bank staff have also contributed, sharing experiences and providing detailed comments. We would like to thank them for their valuable inputs.
Discussion Papers present results of country analysis or research that are circulated to encou:ra... more Discussion Papers present results of country analysis or research that are circulated to encou:rage discussion and comment within the development community. The typescript of this paper therefore has not been prepared in accordance with the procedures appropriate to formal printed texts, and the World Bank accepts no responsibility for errors. Some sources cited in this paper may be informal documents that are not readily available. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the author(s) and should not be attributed in any manner to the World Bank, to its affiliated organizations, ot to members of its Board of Executive Directors or the countries they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data. included in this publication and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this volume do not imply on the part of the World Bank Group any judgment on the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. The material in this publication is copyrighted. The World Bank encourages dissemination of its work and will normally grant permission promptly.
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