Task Orders Executed by the Louis Berger Consortium under the SEGIR Macroeconomic I IQC

Technical Services Support to USAID Global Bureau Center for Economic Growth and Agriculture Development (G/EGAD/EM)
Period of Performance: 8/2000-8/2002
Contract Amount: $10,000

The purpose of this project is to provide the Emerging Markets Office of USAID's Global Bureau's Center for Economic Growth and Agricultural Development (G/EGAD/EM) assistance in research, analysis, and its dissemination for the Office's activities related to macroeconomics, poverty, and economic institutions and analyses. Berger will also provide quick response services with which to help the Office meet requests from top management on short deadlines for briefings and background materials on such topics.

Mid-Term Evaluation of 4 Cooperative Agreements under the Partnership for Economic Growth (PEG) Linkage Project
Period of Performance: 9/2000-12/2000
Contract Amount: $68,555

In 2000, Berger performed an evaluation of USAID/Indonesia's Partnership for Economic Growth program grants to four NGOs in Indonesia (three international, one local). The PEG grants sought to upgrade the extent and quality of the national economic policy discussion and spark meaningful, market-oriented reform.

The evaluation focused on the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the activities supported. The methodology included documents review, a series of briefings by USAID cooperating sponsor representatives, administration of a beneficiary questionnaire during structured interviews, and technical assessment of activity design and implementation, including management information systems and control.

The evaluation found that the achievements of the PEG grants were substantial, including helping to bring forward a new generation of policy makers and media spokespersons for reform; studies and analyses of critical importance for SME growth, of which some served as the basis for IFI conditionality; and provision of technical support and training to public officials at both national and regional levels.

Recommendations included placing stronger emphasis on performance targeting and monitoring, as well as financial reporting; strengthening networking and leveraging, including newsletters, web sites, in-kind advocacy sub-grants and hooking up with a World Bank network of Kacamatan-level organizations; and promulgation of an effective exit strategy to promote impact sustainability.

US-Asia Environmental Partnership (US-AEP)
Period of Performance: 6/2001-4/2002
Contract Amount: $1,149,697

Under the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) SEGIR Macroeconomic Policy IQC, the Louis Berger Group, Inc. (LBG) performed technical leadership and project management services in 11 Asian countries (India, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam) for the US-Asian Environmental Partnership (US-AEP) Program in the areas of Clean Technology and Environmental Management and Urban-based Environmental Management.

US-AEP is a public-private initiative that focuses on promoting sustainable development through the implementation of sound environmental management and cleaner production practices and policies in an urban and industrial setting. Throughout the life of the project, LBG has influenced the operations and environmental management of hundreds of businesses throughout Asia.

The primary outputs of this project included: core research on priority technical, policy, and strategic issues; information dissemination through seminars, workshops, and working papers; technical advise to US-AEP and USAID bureaus and overseas missions; training of key host-country decision makers and technical personnel in the design and implementation of policy and institutional reforms; and management of $100,000 grants program aimed at institutional strengthening of Asian organizations.

Technical Assistance in Economic Reform, Russia
Period of Performance: 7/2001-7/2004
Contract Amount: $1,647,000

The objective of this activity is to support economic policy development in Russia. The main purpose of the program is strengthening the ability of Russian economic experts to provide efficient, timely and accurate policy advice to Russian policy-makers by having wider access to Western economic policy expertise.

Western experts experience promotes strengthening of institutional, analytical and professional development for a number of Russian analysts, policy makers and think tanks. During a series of technical assistance visits and roundtables led in the framework of the project, policy makers focused on ways to deregulate businesses and reform the banking system and the pension system, including privatization of retirement savings.

In terms of reforms of the fiscal system, technical assistance was provided including all aspects of public revenue generation, expenditure and planning, budgeting and fiscal operations at national and regional (Oblast) levels. Activities included drafting laws, analysis of specific legislation and proposals, revenue estimating and advising Russian think-tank and government officials on empirical and methodological taxation issues. In particular, advice was provided to the Ministry of Finance, the Minister of Economy, to Duma committees and the Office of the President via Russian think tanks supported by western experts. Russian experts have become proficient in the design, analysis and implementation of tax policy changes as a result.

The project also moderated discussions between Central Bank administrators, Duma leaders and Western policy makers. Throughout this process, Russian policy makers were encouraged to introduce transparency in decision making. The Program also provided technical assistance to assess the effectiveness of competition policy in Russia.

Russian government officials from the Ministry for Antimonopoly Policy (MAP) in Moscow were advised on competition policy issues. Currently, a team of American experts on comparative law and antitrust economics is conducting independent analytical research on the reform of natural monopolies and evaluation of the MAP.

Currency Conversion Program, Afghanistan
Period of Performance: 9/2002-1/2003
Contract Amount: $8,300,000

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) selected the Louis Berger Group (LBG) to assist the Afghanistan Transitional Authority (ATA), through the Central Bank of Afghanistan, the Ministry of Finance, and the Payments Task Force (PTF) in Kabul, to help initiate and manage the issuance of a new Afghan currency.

The LBG Team consisted of a Conversion Operations Manager, a Public Education Specialist and a number of Afghans. Operating out of LBG’s Kabul office, the LBG Team provided technical, logistical and strategic support for the currency conversion operations, a public information campaign to encourage acceptance of the new currency in Kabul, and eight regional staging centers from which the new currency will be distributed (Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Jalalabad, Bamyan, Mazar-e Sharif, Kunduz, and Faijabad.)

LBG’s Public Education Specialist (PES) worked as a member of the Payments Task Force (PTF) and was responsible for issues relating to public acceptance of new bank notes. The PES was in charge of designing and executing an efficient and effective public education program. Along with a staff of Afghans, the PES worked with the PTF, media and communities to promote the public acceptance campaign.

The Conversion Operations Manager (COM) worked as a member of the PTF in Kabul and was responsible for coordinating USAID’s technical assistance with the PTF and with other donors in Kabul relating to management of logistical aspects of the currency exchange. The COM employed an Afghan staff to work with the PTF and its regional branches to coordinate preparations for the currency conversion and the delivery of new currency. In total, LBG hired 2,500 Afghanis. Assistance ranged from facilitation of the telecommunications requirements to preparations for transporting the currency to regional staging areas.

Energy Wise, India (EWI)
Period of Performance: 9/2002-3/2005
Contract Amount: $990,000

The Louis Berger Group was selected by USAID to implement the Energy Wise India (EWI) program. EWI is a voluntary public-private partnership to promote industrial energy efficiency in India. The program, which falls under US-Asia Environmental Partnership, is modeled after other successful public-private voluntary programs in the U.S. and other countries, but customized to the Indian marketplace and consistent with the mandates outlined in India’s new Energy Conservation Act.

EWI will work with industry, NGOs, research institutions, state electricity boards, industry and trade associations, and government representatives at the state and national level to create a network for sharing best practices and strategies to improve industrial efficiencies. EWI builds on the successful activities conducted under US-AEP’s Corporate Energy Champion Program in India and Thailand.

Provision of Long Term Advisor to Prime Minister of Timor-Leste
Period of Performance: 9/2003-9/2005
Contract Amount: $949, 817

The focus of the project is providing technical macroeconomic assistance to the office of the Prime Minister, including advice on a wide range of economic and development concerns. The economic advisor will promote an open, transparent, and efficient market economy and work to facilitate East Timor's integration into the global economy. The advisor will also provide guidance on the establishment of a legal framework to enhance FDI, as well as assisting and drafting economic treaties and agreements with foreign governments and international organizations. Duties of the advisor also include mentoring and capacity building of East Timorese counterparts to develop their macroeconomic ability and policy development skills.