Program Implementation
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Step 6: Payment Reconciliation Payment reconciliation refers to the procedure through which the payment agency reconciles the list of people to be paid on the muster roll (workers expected to be paid) with those workers who have actually received payments. Once all payment disbursements are made, the payment agent transmits a report to the payment agency confirming the amount of funds to be disbursed against what was actually collected. The payment agency then transmits the report to the central management unit, which records it to the MIS so the program administrator has a record of payment completion (collected funds) and incompletion (uncollected funds). This process helps payment agencies and program administrators keep track of the progress and effectiveness of payment transfers.
Step 7: Grievance and Redress Grievance mechanisms provide beneficiaries with a channel to file complaints or to report irregularities. Recipients who received incomplete and/or delayed payments can file a complaint to a complaints management facilitator; this latter can be appointed by the administrative agency, a community committee designated to manage complaints, or an NGO acting as an intermediary between payment agents and recipients. The facilitator evaluates the grounds for each complaint and determines its accuracy/authenticity. If the complaint is valid, the facilitator issues a redress request to correct the payment. Using penalization/compensation in case of incorrect payments can create incentives to deliver payments in due time and form.
Procurement of Goods and Services For execution of any public works project, materials are needed. Even a small repair to a school building may require bricks and cement. Unless clear protocols are devised around the procurement of materials, a program’s efficiency may be weakened, and in the worst case scenario, a program may be exposed to error, fraud, and corruption. Methods for procurement of material inputs vary across countries, and by implementation system, project type and size, and the specific circumstances of the communities in which projects are implemented. In some countries, procurement is allowed without a tendering process if the cost of procurement of a specific good does not exceed a certain threshold. Table 5.3 presents selected methods of procurement and when they are used.