Mr. Patrick Mnisi

Director

2nd Floor Sokhamlilo Building, Mdada street

Mbabane

Tel: +268 2404 4460

The objective of the Millennium Project is to establish a number of projects which will promote faster economic growth and create a large number of new jobs in accordance with the National Development Strategy (NDS). The Project seeks to develop an enabling environment and attract new domestic and international investment in infrastructure, business and tourism.

The components of the Millennium Project include:

  • A new International Airport with Link Road
  • An International Convention Centre
  • A new Hotel
  • A Theme Park
  • International Trade Centre
  • A Sporting Complex
  • An Amusement Park
  • Factory Shells

In 2001, a Millennium Project Management (MPMU) was established under the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development. It was tasked with performing the day to day functions of reviewing; evaluating and monitoring the various Millennium Project components and advising the ministries accordingly and in the process, ensuring that they proceed as quickly as possible.

The MPMU acts as an interface between government and the private sector. It is the first point of call for the private sector (whether consultants or contractors, financial institutions, etc). It provides fortnightly briefings to the Millennium Project Technical Committee, which in turn, reports to the Cabinet Committee. The MPMU does not reduce the responsibilities of Government Ministries, but assists in coordinating and facilitating their activities.

The functions of the MPMU at the detailed design and construction phases will depend very much on whether the project components are funded solely by Government, or whether there is to be a public-private joint venture, or whether the project will be funded wholly as a private sector venture.

TIME FRAME

Coordinating the Millennium Project will take a number of years until the construction of the various components has been completed. Over the years there will be a requirement for the composition of the MPMU to vary with workload requirements.

AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

The MPMU will have a role to play in the following areas:

  • Project planning, implementation and management - the MPMU plan, implement and manage all the various stages of the Project;
  • Contract documentation - the MPMU will facilitate contract documentation, where necessary;
  • Finance- the MPMU will be responsible for the management of funds allocated for the implementation of the Project;
  • Marketing - the MPMU, in collaboration with line ministries, will have the responsibility for marketing the whole Millennium Project, both to private sector companies/consortia and to donors; and

Resource mobilization - the MPMU will identify and source private sector financial resources in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance.

In other areas, such as the supervision of construction, certifying designs and verifying the qualifications of consultants the line ministries will be consulted and kept fully updated, but the MPMU will continue to take full responsibility for such.

TASKS

The areas of responsibility can be split into a number of main tasks at each of the various phases of the Millennium Project. However, it is the responsibility of the MPMU to produce more detailed tasks in line with prevailing operating environment with the approval of the Technical Committee.

General Tasks include:

  • Act as the focal point for consultants and the private sector on Millennium Project issues;
  • In collaboration with the responsible ministries, update the Millennium Project Report on a fortnightly basis and circulate to the Technical Committee;
  • Attend meetings of the Technical Committee;
  • Where required, brief the appropriate authorities, and
  • Liaise with Government ministries as necessary in order to maximize possible linkages and synergies between the various project components.

CONCEPT DESIGN AND BUSINESS PLANNING STAGE

  • Review all final reports from consultants and provide written comments/recommendations on these reports to the Technical Committee and line ministries;
  • After receiving the approval of the Technical/Cabinet Committee, provide comments/advice to the consultants keeping the line ministries informed;
  • Conduct regular meetings with the consultants to ensure they are fully briefed on requirements keeping line ministries informed accordingly; Organise consultants( presentations to the authorities and with the line ministries vet presentations in advance;
  • In consultation with line ministries liaise with other interested public sector organizations. For example, there is a need for the Ezulwini Town Board to be informed of the potential extra demands on the water and sewage systems.

MARKETING

For each of the Millennium Project components the MPM will prepare and implement an appropriate marketing strategy. There will be a requirement to consider using the services of professional private sector marketing companies. Responsibilities shall include:

o Provide interested private sector companies with copies of the final reports by the consultants.

o Discuss financing options with interested investors;

o In consultation with the line ministries promote the whole Millennium Project to Swazis.

DETAILED ENGINEERING DESIGN AND TENDER DOCUMENTS

For each component, the functions the MPMU performs at the detailed design stage will depend on whether the project will be funded by Government, through a public-private joint venture or solely by the private sector. In the two latter cases the role of the MPMU will be significantly reduced to monitoring and acting as a facilitator between Government and the investors. The tasks below however refer to the case where the final construction is going to be Government driven:

  • Manage tender invitation for detailed engineering design and construction tender documents work;
  • Formulate an evaluation team to review tenders and submit recommendations to Technical Committee;
  • Conduct regular meetings with consultants to ensure they are fully briefed on requirements;
  • Review all draft and final design reports and tender documents, as submitted by selected consultants. Then provide written comments/recommendations to Technical Committee;
  • After receiving the approval of the Technical/Cabinet committee, in collaboration with the relevant ministry provide direction to the consultants;
  • Organise consultants' presentations to the authorities and with the Technical Committee, vet presentations in advance;
  • Prepare proposals for the Technical Committee on the supervision arrangements for the various construction phases.

CONSTRUCTION PHASE

For each component, the functions the MPMU performs at this stage will depend on whether the project will be funded by Government, through a public-private joint venture, or solely by the private sector. In the two latter cases the role of the MPMU will be significantly reduced with the MPMU only monitoring and acting as a facilitator between Government and the investors. The tasks below refer to the instance where the construction is going to be Government driven:

  • Manage tender invitation for construction work;
  • Formulate an evaluation team to review tenders and submit recommendation to Technical Committee{Tender Board);
  • Ensure that the Millennium
  • Project Construction Policy is properly incorporated and implemented effectively;
  • Certify payments to contractors in line with Government procedures; and e. Monitor and supervise the construction phase for each component in order to ensure that standards and designs are adhered to and that the work plan is being followed.

 

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

There is a need for the organization structure of the MPMU to be flexible to cope with the changing demands of the Millennium Project. There are three main areas of specialism required in the Unit:

  • A technical specialist with general expertise in engineering, architectural design and project costing issues;
  • A finance, administrative and legal specialism, and
  • A marketing and promotion specialism.

The Unit reports to the Chairman of the Technical Committee and is headed by the Millennium Project Director. He is assisted by five professionals with different skills; an infrastructure engineer; a civil aviation engineer; an economist; a finance person; and a legal person.

There is also one Secretary. There is need for an additional secretary who will also act as a receptionist and/or PRO. There is one driver and a cleaner and/or tea lady.

CASES WHERE ADDITIONAL EXPERTISE IS REQUIRED

The MPMU should always, where possible, use the existing Government expertise.

However, where this expertise is not available then there will be a requirement to sub-contract specialist work. It will be the duty of the MPMU to inform the Technical Committee of this need. It will be the responsibility of the ministry under which the MPMU is housed to employ the specialist expertise and financial provision should be made for this. The specialist will work for the MPMU.

In line with the Millennium Project Construction Policy, preference, where feasible, will be given to employing Swazi consultants.

 

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