[Replaced] Delivering World Bank Projects in Tajikistan

Introduction

The active World Bank portfolio in Tajikistan represents a profound commitment to developing national infrastructure, human capital, and institutional capacity.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​⁣ Totalling US$1.7 billion across 28 projects, these initiatives span critical national priorities. Delivering these complex investments on schedule and within budget requires rigorous operational discipline. International experience demonstrates that cost increases and project postponements are rarely caused by contractor performance alone; rather, they stem from systemic gaps during the project preparation phase. By identifying structural risks and establishing concrete operational measures before the first tender is launched, government ministries and project implementation units can safeguard public resources, accelerate disbursement, and achieve planned development outcomes.

What the money is for

The active portfolio channels resources into core productive sectors, public administration, and human development. Substantial resources are targeted at power generation and system reliability, including Renewable Energy Hydro (approximately US$494.7 million), Public Administration in Energy and Extractives (approximately US$315.7 million), and Energy Transmission and Distribution (approximately US$121.7 million). Foundational services also receive extensive support, including Water Supply (US$133 million), Sanitation (US$133 million), and Public Administration in Education (US$123 million). Significant investments also focus on disaster resilience, agricultural productivity, financial sector stability, early childhood development, and tax administration reform. Please refer to the table that follows for the detailed project listing.

Energy and power

Energy and power infrastructure programmes represent the largest single share of development expenditure. However, complex energy initiatives frequently encounter bottlenecks during execution.

What goes wrong: Land access, wayleaves, and regulatory permits are often not secured before contracts commence, halting contractor mobilisation. Complex supply-and-install procurement processes frequently take far longer than planned due to market misalignment or delayed technical evaluations. Furthermore, newly constructed or rehabilitated assets sometimes prove difficult to operate sustainably because utility finances and tariff structures fail to cover ongoing operation and maintenance costs.

How to prevent it before the start: Complete a comprehensive readiness check of all required land parcels, wayleaves, permits, and engineering designs prior to initiating procurement, assigning a single accountable official and concrete deadlines to each item. Mitigate procurement delays by establishing realistic bidding schedules, conducting early market soundings to calibrate technical requirements, and appointing trained, dedicated bid evaluation committees. Finally, complete detailed operating cost and tariff analyses during the initial design stage, accompanied by formal asset management plans established from day one.

Water, sanitation and irrigation

Investments in clean water, sanitation networks, and agricultural irrigation are essential for public health and rural development, yet they face distinct operational vulnerabilities.

What goes wrong: Engineering designs prepared in offices often fail to reflect actual site conditions, forcing costly design variations and interruptions once civil works begin. In other instances, community water or irrigation schemes are successfully constructed but fall into disrepair because neither local user associations nor utility operators possess the resources or agreements to maintain them. In addition, unresolved environmental and social concerns can prompt community grievances that halt work on the ground.

How to prevent it before the start: Mandate thorough engineering design reviews and on-site physical verifications before issuing tender documents, backed by a formal change control procedure to govern any necessary modifications. Ensure operational sustainability by negotiating binding user or utility agreements, establishing realistic tariff collections, and setting out clear maintenance plans alongside civil works contracts. Ensure environmental and social instruments are fully prepared, adequately staffed, and operational before contractors mobilise, supported by an accessible, functioning grievance redress mechanism.

Transport and urban infrastructure

Linear infrastructure and municipal engineering projects demand extensive coordination across administrative jurisdictions and physical corridors.

What goes wrong: Uncompleted resettlement processes and delayed relocation of existing utility lines regularly prevent site handover, resulting in idle machinery claims from contractors. Inadequate oversight allows contract variations and contractor claims to accumulate, escalating overall costs. Additionally, weak or irregular site supervision leads to construction defects that compromise infrastructure lifespan.

How to prevent it before the start: Ensure that all resettlement action plans are fully executed, compensation is disbursed, and utility relocation agreements are finalised and funded prior to contract award. Establish robust contract management mechanisms by appointing named contract managers, instituting mandatory monthly progress reporting, and enforcing strict variation control procedures. Define supervision roles explicitly from the outset, requiring detailed quality management plans and independent technical verifications at defined construction milestones.

Health and nutrition

Social sector programmes that construct, renovate, or equip public facilities face challenges in synchronising physical inputs with human operations.

What goes wrong: Specialized medical supplies and clinical equipment frequently arrive on site before physical facilities are renovated or before staff have been trained to use them, causing storage damage and warranty expiration. Key development results become difficult to verify because monitoring systems lack reliable baseline data or practical collection mechanisms. Furthermore, completed facilities often struggle with service delivery due to lack of operational budgets and maintenance funding.

How to prevent it before the start: Develop an integrated, sequenced execution schedule that strictly synchronises civil works, equipment procurement, staff recruitment, and clinical training. Formulate an actionable results framework supported by clearly verifiable performance indicators and straightforward data collection routines. Engage central sector ministries during design to secure agreed budget lines and operational plans for ongoing facility upkeep and staffing.

A readiness check before the first contract

Prior to approving procurement packages or awarding initial contracts, project steering committees and management units should verify the following essential preconditions:

• Site access and permits: Legal rights of way, land acquisition, site access agreements, and official building permits are fully secured and documented.
• Verified engineering designs: Technical specifications and bill of quantities have undergone independent site verification and design audits to minimise variations.
• Resettlement and compensation: Affected persons have received agreed compensation, and all physical relocation actions are completed ahead of handover.
• Procurement readiness: Bidding documents, qualification criteria, and market assessments are fully completed, with trained evaluation committees officially designated.
• Safeguards and grievance mechanisms: Environmental and social risk management plans are approved, implementation teams are in place, and a functional grievance redress process is active.
• Operational sustainability: Agreements covering operation and maintenance arrangements, asset management responsibilities, and ongoing running costs are formally approved by the relevant authorities.
• Supervision protocols: Named contract managers, engineering supervision consultants, and quality control systems are appointed with clear reporting mandates.

How Risalat can help

Addressing these implementation challenges requires access to proven tools, structured diagnostics, and practical operational approaches.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​⁣ Project implementation teams and government authorities can leverage Risalat’s core service approaches to strengthen delivery:

• Project Delivery and Implementation Support helps project teams establish sound governance, streamline disbursement routines, and achieve planned development results.
• Procurement Systems and Reform offers methods for faster, compliant procurement, including e-procurement adoption and contract management oversight.
• Environmental and Social Risk Management establishes environmental and social frameworks that safeguard communities while avoiding execution standstills.
• Institutional and Digital Transformation supports the alignment of public governance structures, digital processes, and performance data.
• Training Needs Assessment and Capacity Development identifies institutional skills gaps to design role-based capacity development that enhances workplace performance.
• Public Financial Management and Public Investment assists agencies with public investment planning, financial management systems, budget execution, and reporting.

Teams preparing and supervising operations can deploy practical analytical instruments, such as the Project Health Check to detect implementation bottlenecks early, and the Procurement Maturity Diagnostic to assess procurement system capabilities. Sector specialists can also draw upon structured Transformation blueprints to guide organizational change, and access the dedicated Workstation for project teams for practical project management workflows.

For targeted technical capability building aligned with the national portfolio, project staff can access specialized international programmes:

• Tax Compliance Risk Management and Risk-Based Audit Strategy in Vienna, supporting revenue administration modernisation.
• Advanced Metering Infrastructure and Smart Grid Operations in Baku, addressing power utility management and loss reduction.
• Rural Water Supply Asset Management and Community Tariff Systems in Baku, assisting in the sustainable operation of communal water networks.
• Disaster-Resilient Rural Road Engineering and Slope Stabilization in Tbilisi, enhancing technical standards for transport corridors vulnerable to natural hazards.
• School Infrastructure Standards, Seismic Retrofitting and Green Building in Tbilisi, supporting education infrastructure quality and safety.
• Seed Sector Modernisation and Climate-Smart Seed Certification in Istanbul, contributing to agricultural resilience initiatives.
• Agribusiness Value Chain Aggregation and Post-Harvest Logistics in Almaty, focusing on commercial agricultural development.
• Financial Inclusion, SME Credit Scoring and Microfinance Supervision in Dubai, strengthening financial and private sector supervision.

Source of project data: World Bank project records (projects.worldbank.org), read November 2026.