The Easen Environment and the Office of the Leading Group for International Financial Organizations and Foreign Government Loan Project Management in Wuzhou City signed a project management and capacity building consulting service contract for the Guangxi Wuzhou Health and Elderly Friendly City Development Project funded by the Asian Development Bank in November 2023.
Wuzhou City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has obtained a loan of 100 million US dollars from the Asian Development Bank (hereinafter referred to as the "ADB") for the implementation of the "Wuzhou Healthy City and Elderly Friendly City Development Project" (hereinafter referred to as the "Project"). The Asian Development Bank hired a project preparation team to conduct a comprehensive technical evaluation of the project based on the project proposal and feasibility study results prepared by the Wuzhou Municipal Government. After that, they reached an agreement with the Wuzhou City on the overall design of the project. The Asian Development Bank loan project in Wuzhou adopts a "results based lending" (RBL) model. To this end, the Wuzhou Municipal Government formulated the "Wuzhou Health and Age Friendly City Action Plan (2021-2025)" in April 2022 as an RBL project funded by the Asian Development Bank. The timeline of the RBL project coincides with the second phase of the Healthy Wuzhou 2030, which is the "deepening and acceleration" phase. The RBL project covers three central urban areas in Wuzhou City, including Changzhou District, Longwei District, and Wanxiu District. The estimated total investment of the project is 1.3730.8 billion US dollars, including a loan of 100 million US dollars from the Asian Development Bank and a support of 1.2730.8 billion US dollars from the Wuzhou Municipal Government. The implementation period coincides with the 14th Five Year Plan, which is 2021-2025.
Wuzhou City successfully implemented the "Guangxi Wuzhou Urban Development Project" funded by the Asian Development Bank from 2009 to 2017, with a focus on comprehensive improvement of geological disasters and resettlement, construction of the road network and related infrastructure in Hongling New Area, establishment of a disaster warning and forecasting system, as well as project management and capacity building. This project uses the traditional investment project model. This project is the first health and age friendly city development project launched by the Asian Development Bank in China, and it is also one of the early RBL projects launched by the Asian Development Bank in China. It is also the first project carried out by Wuzhou City in the field of health and friendly city construction, using the RBL model. In order to support the smooth implementation of the project, three consulting services are planned to be recruited under the project: 1) Initiate support for individual experts - before the loan takes effect, the Asian Development Bank will invest in hiring four independent experts to assist the project office. These four expert positions are: environmental expert, resettlement expert, social and gender expert, and financial management expert. 2) The independent verification agency - Wuzhou Project Office will represent the Wuzhou Municipal Government in recruiting an independent verification agency, which will be responsible for independently verifying the "payment related indicators" according to the "verification agreement". 3) Project Management and Capacity Building Consulting Services - The Wuzhou Project Office will represent the Wuzhou Municipal Government in recruiting a consulting firm. During the implementation process, in accordance with the policies and regulations, loan agreements, and project agreements of the Asian Development Bank and the Chinese government, it will provide comprehensive and full process technical support to the project executing agency, project leadership group, Wuzhou Project Office, implementing agency, and implementing unit in project management and capacity building.
The impact of the project is to improve the livability, age friendliness, and social inclusiveness of the core urban area of Wuzhou. The main outputs include: 1) establishing a healthy and safe four generation urbanization environment; 2) Enhance elderly friendly comprehensive services and facilities; 3) Institutional strengthening and capacity building; 4) Improving urban environment and hygiene; 5) Upgrade parks, green spaces, and leisure and fitness facilities; Demonstration of "Vitality Block"; 6) Safe, accessible, pedestrian friendly streets, pedestrian crossings, and sidewalks; 7) Developing elderly care services (community and home-based elderly care, institutional elderly care) with the participation of the private sector; 8) Promoting a healthy lifestyle; 9) Strategic planning, research, and capacity building. The Wuzhou Municipal Government is the project executing agency. The Wuzhou Municipal Government has established a cross departmental project leadership group led by the Executive Vice Mayor. The Office of the Project Leadership Group (referred to as the "Wuzhou Project Office") is located in the Development and Reform Commission of Wuzhou City. The implementing agencies include the Development and Reform Commission of Wuzhou City, the Civil Affairs Bureau of Wuzhou City, the Health Commission of Wuzhou City, the Urban Management and Supervision Bureau of Wuzhou City, and the Culture, Radio, Television, Sports and Tourism Bureau of Wuzhou City.
Consulting services: During the project implementation period, the project management and capacity building consultant will assist the project executing agency, project office, and project implementing agency in providing technical support for project implementation in accordance with the requirements of the Asian Development Bank, including but not limited to the following aspects:
1) Project Implementation Plan: Develop annual and quarterly implementation goals and plans, including consulting services
2) Degree plan, project action plan schedule, payment related indicators and payment plan, etc.
3) Project Management Manual: Develop a project management manual to determine the procedures and tasks for project implementation,
4) Clarify the responsibilities of each department, etc.
5) Financial management support: including preparing payment requests to the Asian Development Bank and calculating the funding of project implementation units
6) Allocation of funds, estimation of investments for various categories and overall projects, etc.
7) Project Management and Financial Management Information System: Assist the project office in establishing a financial management system that tracks project performance, loan payments, and matching funds in place; Assist project implementation agencies and units in preparing annual financial and audit reports that comply with domestic and ADB requirements.
8) Project Action Plan: Guide, supervise, and monitor the implementation of the project action plan.
9) Implementation of environmental and social security actions: guide, supervise, and monitor the implementation of environmental and social security actions, and prepare semi annual monitoring reports.
10) Project Performance: Monitor and supervise the performance of loan agreements, project agreements, and other agreements.
11) Project performance monitoring: Regularly update the project design and monitoring framework, develop a project performance monitoring system, and regularly monitor project outputs, outcomes, and impacts.
12) Vitality Block: Guide and supervise the construction and operation of vitality blocks.
13) ADB loan inspection and daily communication: Prepare the necessary materials and reports for ADB annual inspection, mid-term inspection, and completion inspection, and assist the project office in preparing the loan inspection schedule. Maintain daily communication with the Asian Development Bank.
14) Capacity building: Evaluate the capacity building needs of project implementation units and other relevant departments, prepare and organize the implementation of capacity building plans, including but not limited to domestic and foreign training and inspections.
15) Knowledge product development and project outcome dissemination: Identify innovation points under the project, including health and elderly friendly areas, RBL model innovation points in urban development, and develop knowledge products. Summarize project results. Assist the project office in disseminating project innovation points and achievements.
16) Monitoring and reporting: Regularly monitor the progress of various aspects of project implementation, prepare quarterly, semi annual, and annual progress reports, as well as mid-term and completion reports.
17) Problems and suggestions: Identify problems in the project implementation process in a timely manner and provide solutions.