Build in time and flexibility in support of long-term change management: Reform interventions should be of sufficient duration and flexibility to respond to obstacles and new information, and to adapt to changing circumstances. In line with the evaluation’s finding suggesting reduced focus on deliverable quality and greater focus on outcomes, experience on the PSRP clearly demonstrated the challenges associated with implementation of activities designed to achieve sound technical goals. It is critical that MCC and its partners at MCA give sufficient consideration to implementation modalities in addition to identifying needed technical fixes. The PSRP experienced numerous difficulties where recommendations or new policies were not implemented due to lack of uptake by partner organizations, driven in part by inadequate implementation strategies and in part by lack of demand and accountability for change. Contractor terms of reference should be designed to allow ample time and effort for long-duration, on-the-ground support where technical assistance (TA) can align with opportunities to support ‘learning-by-doing,’ in parallel with ongoing sector initiatives (e.g. tariff reviews) so that partners can actively apply new skills and consultants can adequately follow through on key initiatives. In addition, TA and capacity building efforts should be tailored to enable a learning and feedback process whereby consultancies can identify, adapt to and address emerging issues. In Malawi, initial results yielded useful information that could inform future TA, but shorter, less flexible interventions meant the information could not be used to influence activities that were underway or already completed.
Lesson Learned