United Nations Development Programme

Project Title
Name of the Institution
Date of assessment
INDICATOR AREAS FOR APPLICABLE COMMENTS
ASSESSMENT DOCUMENTS/TOO
LS

PART I – REFERENCES AND PRELIMINARY CHECKS

1.1 History and Compliance with International Resolutions/Standards

1.1.1 History Date of creation and Annual Reports

length in existence
Media Kit
Has the institution gone
Website
through a recent re-
organization/re-
structuring?

1.1.2 United Is the institution listed United Nations

Nations Security in any reference list? Security Council
Council 1267 1267 Committee’s
list of terrorists and
terrorist financiers

1.1.3 Is the institution ISO, Project

Certification already certified Management
through international standard, other
standards? standards

PART II. ASSESSING NATIONAL INSTITUTION CAPACITY FOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT

2.1 Managerial Capacity
Ability to plan, monitor and coordinate activities
Planning, Does the institution Well-designed
Monitoring & produce clear, project and
Evaluation internally consistent programme
proposals and documents
intervention
Action Plans/Work
frameworks, including
plans
detailed workplans?
Log frame or
Does the institution
equivalent
hold regular
programme or project Project reports
review meetings?
Evaluation reports
Are there measurable
Indicators available
outputs/deliverables in
in project plans
the defined project
plans? Lessons-Learned
reports
Was the institution
previously exposed to
UNDP RBM
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Project Title
approach/methodology
or equivalent in other
donor agencies?

2.1.2 Reporting Does the institution Reports to donors

and performance monitor progress and other
track record against well defined stakeholders
indicator and targets,
Reporting system
and evaluate its
programme/project
achievements?
Does the institution
report to its
stakeholders on a
regular basis?

2.2 Technical Capacity

2.2.1 Does the institution Publications on

Specialization have the technical activities, specific
skills required? issues, analytical
articles, policies
Does the institution
have the knowledge Reports from
needed? participation in
international,
Does the institution
regional, national
keep informed about
or local meetings
the latest techniques/
and conferences
competencies/policies/t
rends in its area of Tools and
expertise? methodologies
Does the institution Evaluations and
have the skills and assessments
competencies that
complement those of
UNDP?

2.2.2 Ability to Does the institution Evaluations and

monitor the have access to relevant Assessments
technical information/resources
Methodologies/train
aspects of the and experience?
ing materials
project.
Does the institution
Use of toolkits,
have useful contacts
indicators and
and networks?
benchmarks/capaci
Does the institution ty-development
know how to get tools
baseline data, develop
Databases
indicators?
Does it apply effective
approaches to reach its
targets (i.e
participatory methods)?

2.2.3 Human Does the institution Profile of staff,

Resources staff possess adequate including expertise
expertise and and professional
experience? experience

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Project Title
Does the institution use Staff turnover
local capacities
Chart of
(financial/human/other
assignments of
resources)?
roles and functions
What is the institution
Reports on
capacity to coordinate
technical
between its main office
experience from
and decentralized
national or
entities/branches (if
international
relevant)?
agencies for
Have staff been trained operations and
on project capacity-building
management
Individual
methodology?
certification on
project
management such
as PRINCE2

PART III. ASSESSING NATIONAL INSTITUTION CAPACITY FOR ADMINISTRATIVE AND

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

3.1 Administrative capacity

Ability to provide adequate logistical support and infrastructure

3.1.1 Ability to Does the institution Adequate logistical

manage and possess logistical infrastructure:
maintain infrastructure and office facilities and
infrastructure equipment? space, basic
and equipment equipment, utilities
Can the institution
manage and maintain Computer
equipment? capability and
library materials
Proper equipment
for area of
specialization
inventory to track
property and cost

3.1.2 Ability to Does the institution Standard contracts

procure goods have the ability to
Examples of how
services and procure goods, services
procurement is
works on a and works on a
done
transparent and transparent and
competitive competitive basis? Written procedures
basis. for identifying the
Does the institution
appropriate vendor,
have standard
obtaining the best
contracts or access to
price, and issuing
legal counsel to ensure
commitments
that contracts meet
performance standards,
protect UNDP and the
institution’s interests
and are enforceable?
Does the institution
have the authority to

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Project Title
enter into contracts?

3.1.3 Ability to Is the institution able to Standard contracts

recruit and staff the project and
Job descriptions
manage the enter into contract with
best-qualified personnel?
personnel on a
Does the institution use
transparent and
written job descriptions
competitive
for consultants or
basis.
experts?
3.2 Financial Capacity
Ability to ensure appropriate management of funds

3.2.1 Financial Is there a regular Operating budgets

management budget cycle? and financial
and funding reports
Does the institution
resources
produce programme List of core and
and project budgets? non-core donors
and years of
What is the maximum
funding
amount of money the
institution has Written procedures
managed? ensuring clear
records for
Does the institution
payable,
ensure physical
receivables, stock
security of advances,
and inventory
cash and records?
Reporting system
Does the institution
that tracks all
disburse funds in a
commitments and
timely and effective
expenditures
manner?
against budgets by
Does the institution line
have procedures on
authority,
responsibility,
monitoring and
accountability of
handling funds?
Does the institution
have a record of
financial stability and
reliability?

3.2.2. Does the institution A bank account or

Accounting keep good, accurate bank statements
System and informative
Audited financial
accounts?
statements
Does the institution
Good, accurate and
have the ability to
informative
ensure proper financial
accounting system
recording and
reporting? Written procedures
for processing
payments to
control the risks
through

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segregation of
duties, and
transaction
recording and
reporting

3.2.3. Does the institution External access

Knowledge of have staff familiar with provided
UNDP financial Atlas through External
system Access?