The Final Performance Evaluation of USAID Iraq Administrative Reform Project (TARABOT)

PMCG, in consortium with QED Group, is conducting a performance evaluation of USAID Iraq’s Administrative Reform Project (Tarabot), which aims to support the Government of Iraq (GoI) to achieve its strategic goal of improving the functions of public institutions, and the quality of service delivery through better governance and improved management of human and fiscal resources.

The main purpose of the final performance evaluation project is to assess which Tarabot activities have met project goals, and to what extent the project has strengthened the capacity of the Ministry of Planning and the Ministry of Oil in implementing supported systems and reforms, through the implementation of the public-administration/governance-strengthening program, focusing on management of the capital-investment budget, procurement, and oil assistance.

More specifically, PMCG is conducting the following activities:

• Assess the level of progress achieved in the pursuit of Tarabot’s key objectives;
• Assess whether results were met during the final implementation phase;
• Assess the degree to which reforms within targeted GoI institutions resulted in improved capacity, implementation of new public-sector reforms critical for improved management of public resources, and increased revenue;
• Examine and identify the key areas of success and failures in areas supported by Tarabot;
• Examine whether reforms provided to assist GoI’s partners, and which ones, have directly contributed to improved management of public resources and increased revenue;
• Determine whether certain Tarabot sector investments, innovations, and system approaches increased the capacity of key GoI institutions to better manage their resources, improve support to other government entities, and increase revenues;
• Examine the extent to which Tarabot was able to disseminate best practices and promote international standards, and assess how Tarabot program assistance affected the ability of the GoI to effectively manage its funds, and provide better services to citizens and within the government;
• Assess the impact of Tarabot assistance to the Ministry of Planning operation as a disseminator of public procurement reform and improved management of capital-investment budget;
• Assess the impact of Tarabot’s assistance on the Ministry of Oil and its six state oil companies, and their ability to reform procurement and project-management systems, improve delegation of authority, and resolve issues related to stalled refinery or export projects, and increase revenues;
• Answer the following question: Which MoO state company has benefited the most from Tarabot’s assistance and why?
• Recommend how USAID could continue to build upon results achieved by Tarabot to improve the sustainability and long-term impact of prior public sector investments.

Background information:

To improve the public administrative capacity of the Government of Iraq, USAID is partnering with executive offices, ministries, and governorates to strengthen public management institutions through better governance and improved oversight of human and fiscal resources. Taking a holistic approach towards its mission to assist partners, the Iraq Administrative Reform Project, also known as “Tarabot” (Arabic for “linkages”), works to establish and strengthen institutions, systems, and processes in close collaboration with its Iraqi governmental partners.