Assisting Parliament of Georgia to Develop Budgetary Process and Oversight Handbook for newly elected Members of Parliament and Budget Oversight System for Parliamentary Committees

Project Description:

PMCG, as part of the consortium led by Tetra Tech ARD, within the USAID-funded Good Governance Initiative (GGI) program, is providing support to the Parliament of Georgia to develop a budgetary process and oversight handbook for newly elected Members of Parliament (MPs) and a budget oversight system for parliamentary committees.

The project aims to:

• Produce a user-friendly handbook on budgetary process and oversight for newly elected MPs
• Support three sectoral parliamentary committees (Budget and Finance, Sectoral Economy and Healthcare) in creating and introducing an effective and realistic budget oversight system or plan in their committees, that would potentially serve as a model for budget oversight activity in other committees

More specifically, PMCG’s team will perform the following activities:

1. Develop Budgetary Process and Oversight Guide

• Review relevant legislation (Constitution, Rules of Procedures of the Parliament (RoP), etc.), as well as similar guides developed by the Parliament, Ministry of Finance and other relevant bodies in previous years
• Work with relevant parliamentary staff and MPs, Parliamentary Budget Office and the SAO, as necessary, to design and produce a new user-friendly handbook on budgetary process and oversight tools, resources and calendar

2. Develop Budget Oversight System for Parliamentary Committees

• Conduct an initial needs assessment, identifying current budget oversight practices within the committees. This should be done through:

• • Desk research of relevant documents (assessments, reports)
  • Individual meetings and focus groups with relevant MPs and parliamentary staff, Parliamentary Budget Office and the SAO, and representatives of parliamentary assistance projects
  • An initial needs assessment workshop with the participation of MPs and leading staff from the three committees to discuss the current practices and needs, and to identify lessons learned and areas for improvement

Background information:

USAID has awarded Tetra Tech ARD with a 5-year contract under the Office of Democracy and Governance, whose purpose is to support the Government of Georgia in strengthening overall transparency, accountability and effectiveness of selected governance and service delivery systems. GGI’s work targets the legislative and executive branches at both the central and local government levels. To ensure greater government accountability, GGI works with government and civil society representatives to enhance public participation and disseminate public information about key reforms. This activity addresses the Governing Justly and Democratically Objective of U.S. Government Foreign Assistance, and especially the promotion of well-governed states and civil society areas.

The objectives of GGI are to improve administrative and financial management of public institutions at all levels, to increase civic engagement and improved access to independent, reliable and balanced information relevant to Georgia’s good governance, to strengthen policy development and lawmaking processes and to strengthen institutional oversight of government.

Follow the links below for related projects:

Good Governance Initiative (GGI)
Training for the Parliament’s Public Relations Department
Supporting Ministry of Finance to Design Civic Participation Mechanisms
Supporting Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs in Increasing the Capacity of IT Unit
Assisting Treasury Department to Define Software Requirements for Cash and Liquidity Management Strategy
Assisting the Parliament’s Healthcare and Social Issues Committee to Develop Continuous Education Policy for Doctors
Assisting Policy Analysis, Strategic Planning and Coordination Department (PASPCD) to Develop Policy Planning Manual
Assisting the legal drafting team of the Civil Service Bureau of Georgia in adoption of the Law of Georgia on Remuneration in Public Institutions