37. The provision of technical assistance is an important part of the Organization's mandate, specified under Constitution Article I 3 (a), which states: "It shall also be the function of the Organization to furnish such technical assistance as governments request". Technical assistance is generally provided in the form of direct inputs to the field programme, whether funded from the Regular Programme - as for the Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) and the Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS) - or from extra-budgetary sources under the Government Cooperative Programme, Unilateral Trust Funds, UNDP or other arrangements for voluntary contributions.
38. The Organization makes a further significant contribution to technical assistance through its support to the field programme through Technical Support Services (TSS) or Administrative and Operational Support Services (AOS). For many years, the Organization has made a conscious effort to identify and report this additional contribution. This section of the Programme Implementation Report continues this tradition.
39. These are defined as:
40. The overall level of TSS services is outlined in Table 2.6, which compares the 1998-99 result with the previous biennium.
TABLE 2.6: TECHNICAL SUPPORT SERVICES (TSS)
Component |
1996-97 |
1998-99 | ||
|
|
US$ |
Percentage of total delivery |
US$ |
Percentage of total delivery |
Delivery* |
510.9 |
|
570.3 |
|
Project design and formulation |
8.6 |
1.7 |
12.1 |
2.1 |
Project appraisal |
4.7 |
0.9 |
7.0 |
1.2 |
Project monitoring |
17.3 |
3.4 |
20.5 |
3.6 |
Project evaluation and audit |
3.3 |
0.6 |
4.4 |
0.8 |
Project reporting |
4.6 |
0.9 |
6.2 |
1.1 |
Project meetings |
2.9 |
0.6 |
6.3 |
1.1 |
Total TSS |
41.4 |
8.1 |
56.5 |
9.9 |
* Delivery is consistent with the methodology used in the Cost Measurement study, and based upon an approach developed by UNDP, FAO, ILO, UNESCO, UNIDO and UNOPS.
41. There was a significant increase in the extent of technical support services, more than can be accounted for in the 12 percent increase in delivery. The above-average increases can be seen under project design and appraisal and under the general heading of project meetings. As the greater proportion of technical support services costs is in the form of staff time, Table 2.7 shows the percentage of professional technical staff time dedicated to these purposes.
TABLE 2.7: PROPORTION OF TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL STAFF TIME DEVOTED TO TSS TO THE FIELD PROGRAMME 1998-99 (PERCENT)
Programme |
Headquarters |
Regional Offices |
Sub-regional Offices |
Total |
2.1.1: Natural resources |
28 |
38 |
53 |
33 |
2.1.2: Crops |
24 |
34 |
41 |
27 |
2.1.3: Livestock |
25 |
34 |
45 |
28 |
2.1.4: Agricultural support systems |
27 |
28 |
30 |
27 |
2.1.5: Agricultural applications of isotopes and biotechnology |
31 |
|
|
31 |
2.1: Agricultural production and support systems |
26 |
34 |
44 |
29 |
2.2.1: Nutrition |
18 |
32 |
45 |
23 |
2.2.2: Food and agricultural information |
8 |
26 |
36 |
10 |
2.2.3: Agriculture and economic development analysis |
11 |
21 |
38 |
15 |
2.2.4: Food and agricultural policy |
4 |
26 |
39 |
5 |
2.2: Food and agriculture policy and development |
9 |
27 |
40 |
12 |
2.3: Fisheries |
20 |
37 |
22 |
21 |
2.4: Forestry |
21 |
31 |
20 |
23 |
|
2.5.1: Research, natural resources management and |
24 |
16 |
67 |
25 |
2.5.2: Women and population |
24 |
36 |
|
28 |
2.5.3: Rural development |
27 |
38 |
44 |
29 |
2.5.6: Food production in support of food security in LIFDCs |
26 |
|
|
26 |
|
2.5: Contributions to sustainable development and |
25 |
28 |
61 |
27 |
3.1: Policy assistance |
38 |
38 |
42 |
39 |
Average |
20 |
33 |
40 |
24 |
42. In terms of technical staff time, there has been a significant overall increase in TSS, rising from 18 percent in 1996-97 (see Table 2.8 of C 99/8, paragraph 37) to an average of 24 percent in 1998-99. The major proportion of this increase is attributed to the greater involvement of decentralized technical staff in providing these services, a trend which was to be expected, given the encouragement to increase the level of support they provide to the field programme.
43. The small increase in the proportion of Headquarters professional staff time devoted to TSS reversed the trend of the past two biennia, but at 20 percent remained well below past levels, which had generally exceeded 30 percent. A factor in increasing the percentage of Headquarters time spent on field programme support was a rise in Fisheries to 20 percent from the unusually low 1996-97 level of 12 percent, which in part reflects the major re-entry of Fisheries into field programme activities. The professional staff time of all other major programmes at Headquarters remained within 2 percent of the 1996-97 level.
44. The decentralization of primary responsibility for TSS to the Regional and Sub-regional Offices is evident from Chart 2.4. The Regional Offices more than doubled the time spent by their professional technical staff on technical support services to the Field Programme, from 14 percent in 1996-97 to 33 percent in 1998-99. In the Sub-regional Offices, field programme support increased from 26 to 40 percent.
45. While there was some variation between regions, as shown in Chart 2.5, field programme support exceeded 25 percent of staff time in all Regional and Sub-regional Offices. The trend towards higher levels of field programme support provided by Sub-regional Offices is in line with the policy that such support should be provided from the location closest to the recipient countries.
46. Table 2.6 shows a contribution of US$ 56.5 million to technical assistance via TSS but it should be noted that the Regular Programme contribution in 1998-99 is estimated at approximately US$ 50 million after offsetting reimbursements from projects for some of these services. It should also be noted that the amount of TSS provided is included in the programme outcome tables under each programme in Chapter 3: Summary of Programme Implementation.
47. Administrative and Operational Support Services consist of all of the variable indirect costs which can be associated with the delivery of direct project inputs. They include:
48. The level of these costs over the previous two biennia is shown in Table 2.8. Given the policy of cost reduction, these results are excellent. All costs have declined as a percentage of the related delivery for each budget component, with the exception of training. The higher percentage for training reflects a 20 percent decline in delivery for training inputs, most of which occurred in 1999 before costs could be further reduced. Action has already been initiated which will reduce the 2000 costs of the Fellowships Unit, which supports the training process for field projects.
TABLE 2.8: ADMINISTRATIVE AND OPERATIONAL SUPPORT COSTS (AOS)
Component |
1996-97 |
1998-99 | ||
|
|
US$ |
Percentage of component delivery |
US$ |
Percentage of component delivery |
Project personnel |
37.3 |
13.8 |
24.4 |
10.2 |
Project procurement |
12.1 |
9.8 |
15.9 |
7.8 |
Project sub-contracts |
7.8 |
21.0 |
6.9 |
14.0 |
Project training |
10.1 |
20.3 |
10.5 |
26.4 |
Incremental indirect (i.e. donor liaison, budgeting and accounting) |
4.9 |
1.0 |
3.6 |
0.6 |
Total AOS |
72.2 |
14.1 |
61.3 |
10.7 |
49. It is emphasized that most AOS cost is not a contribution by the Regular Programme to technical assistance. Table 2.9 shows the extent of reimbursements for AOS services by the projects themselves.
TABLE 2.9: ADMINISTRATIVE AND OPERATIONAL SUPPORT COSTS AND EXTENT OF REIMBURSEMENT RECEIVED
US$ million |
1996-97 |
1998-99 |
Variance |
Administrative and operational support costs |
72.2 |
61.3 |
10.9 |
Reimbursements |
51.6 |
39.5 |
(12.1) |
Contribution of the Regular Programme |
(20.6) |
(21.8) |
(1.2) |
50. The net contribution of the Regular Programme to the administrative and operational support costs of delivering technical assistance was just over US$ 21 million, slightly more than the previous biennium. While costs were reduced by US$ 10.9 million, reimbursement fell at a faster rate because of the higher proportion of emergency delivery within the total.
