The USAID/Georgia Human and Institutional Capacity Development (HICD) PLUS project is a four-year project designed to augment the implementation of USAID/Georgia’s assistance efforts in democracy and governance, economic growth, energy and environment, and the health and education sectors. The project contributes with the development of individual skills and institutional capacity of select public entities, civil society organizations, and other private organizations that play a strategic role in the implementation of the Government of Georgia’s reform program and the Mission’s Development Objectives. HICD PLUS is an official project of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Chemonics International is the implementing partner.

The purpose of this project is to conduct an HICD Institutional Performance Assessment of the Georgian State Electrosystem (GSE). The assessment strives to increase the human and institutional capacity of GSE and better enable it to perform its core functions. Following on from the performance assessment, HICD PLUS will receive a written report detailing the findings of the assessment team, along with the team’s recommendations for performance solutions. These recommendations will then be considered and selected by the partner organization and USAID.

In the process of conducting the performance assessment, the PMCG team will use a wide array of information gathering activities to identify organizational goals and analyze the actual performance of the organization in meeting those goals. PMCG will be responsible for leading the assessment and providing several of the assessment team members, including the CPT-designated team leader.

As part of the assessment process, and under the guidance of the HICD PLUS Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist, PMCG team will examine GSE’s existing performance monitoring and management systems to help the organization establish a system through which it can measure actual performance against targets related to organizational goals. This system will be known as the Performance Monitoring and Evaluation System (PMES). Institutionalizing a PMES enables an organization to regularly monitor its own performance in critical areas that are leading indicators of the organization’s overall performance success.

Objective:

The objective of the performance assessment is to assist GSE in articulating its organizational goals and objectives, compare current performance levels to optimal performance levels, and design performance solutions to narrow and close any identified performance gaps.

Statement of Work:

Within the framework of this project, PMCG will lead the HICD performance assessment and prepare the performance solutions package. The sequence for these activities is as follows:

1. PMCG carries out the performance assessment;
2. PMCG prepares a final report, which includes a list of recommended performance improvement activities;
3. HICD PLUS circulates the list of recommended activities to GSE and USAID and some, or all, of the recommended activities are approved;
4. PMCG prepares the Performance Solutions Package, which elaborates and develops the approved performance improvement activities.

Specifically, PMCG will be responsible for:

• Assessing the “external” and “internal” environments within which GSE delivers its mandate. The external environment is understood as “peripheral stakeholders,” i.e., the institutions GSE works closely with to deliver its mandate, as well as its “target audiences,” i.e., its clients;
• Assessing the overall institutional performance of GSE based on the interaction of three overlapping dimensions: the environment of the workplace, the structure and design of the work processes, and the level of personnel skills and knowledge;
• Assessing GSE’s existing monitoring and evaluation systems, if any;
• Detecting any gaps in the performance of GSE and defining the critical points to monitor;
• Defining desired performance in measurable terms;
• Developing detailed performance improvement solutions/recommendations aimed at improving the overall quality of the services rendered by GSE;
• Developing performance indicators at various levels of the organization to enable GSE to measure performance on an ongoing basis in relation to its organizational goals, and integrate these indicators into the PMES;

Also, PMCG’s partner organization, Integrated Management System (IMG) will conduct an Employee Work Values and Job Satisfaction Survey, which includes two field-trips to GSE regional offices.

Follow the link to view HICD PLUS summary video clip about the project:
Improving the Performance of Georgian State Electrosystem