Reconstruction of municipal infrastructure destroyed due to the full-scale invasion is a complex process. In addition to resources, it also requires qualified professionals who have sufficient knowledge and skills to plan and implement recovery projects. U-LEAD’s new training programme “Steps for Specialists. Management of Reconstruction Projects in Municipalities” will help local self-government officials improve their professional competences.
At the promotional event, moderators — Yuliia Polishchuk, Adviser on Decentralisation and Local Self-Government of the Regional Office of U-LEAD in the Cherkasy Oblast, and Maryna Honcharenko, Adviser on Municipal Management and Finance at the Regional Office of U-LEAD in the Kharkiv Oblast — spoke about the main components of the training programme and its highlights.
First and foremost, the comprehensive training programme will help local self-government officials build their professional competence as construction project owners, which can be assigned both to local self-government and to utility companies and institutions.
“These Steps focus specifically on hard projects, reconstruction of real estate. They will cover the entire process of reconstruction, from shaping the project team and selecting project ideas to the registration of the right of ownership of the constructed real estate,” said Yuliia Polishchuk.
The 6-week training programme will consist of 5 seminars and 5 workshops.
Yuliia Polishchuk believes that an important element of the training will be workshops, including on how to arrange and hold architectural competitions in municipalities, to develop project and estimate documentation, to ensure compliance with the anti-corruption legislation in public procurement of the project and estimate documentation, as well as copyright and technical supervision services.
Another important topic will be the management of construction processes and commissioning of the facility. The experts will teach municipal officials the basics of contracting, such as protecting the interests of the project owner when entering into the contract and at the performance stage regarding compliance with deadlines and the quality of construction works.
An integral component of the training programme will be the mechanisms of public communication throughout the reconstruction processes, which Ukrainian municipalities are only beginning to master.
“In addition to being the beneficiaries, residents of the municipality also help the authorities manage reconstruction processes as a source of knowledge, skills and certain expertise. Active public participation ensures the sustainability of reconstruction projects and can become a prerequisite for additional financing of reconstruction projects in municipalities.”
In turn, Maryna Honcharenko emphasised the criteria for participation in the training programme. 30 teams representing municipalities with a population of up to 50,000 will be selected. Each team should consist of two local self-government officials who are involved in the administration of reconstruction projects in the municipality.