Particularly for large infrastructure delivery like sanitation network connections, early risk identification and community coordination is critical to avoid harm to the community. The need to thoughtfully communicate and modify the behavior of residents in the neighborhoods that would receive a new sewage network was identified early in the compact design process. These residents would need to not only change sanitation practices associated with moving from pit latrines to connected sewerage systems and building toilets but also to navigate the process of connecting to the system through a Sanitation Connection Action Plan. Unfortunately, the construction of the sewerage network in the low-income community of Mtendere encountered several challenges including a poor-performing contractor leading to the network remaining incomplete several months after compact close. The evaluation findings uncovered residents frustrated at the lack of infrastructure that had been promised for so long, including a few who took out loans to build toilets that now sat unused. This unfortunate story has many lessons including earlier risk identification and responses to community coordination, procurement and technical challenges. A new Integrated Program Management initiative within MCC is building project management capacity that aims to support learning from this experience for ongoing and future programs. MCC also updated procurement processes including development of new Standard Bidding Documents to ensure contract award to best technically qualified bidders at a reasonable price rather than lowest cost technically qualified bidders.
Lesson Learned