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PROJECT AND PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT                        up▲

Vakakis has managed an extensive portfolio of large-scale, multi-disciplinary development projects throughout Eastern and Western Europe, Asia and Africa over the last twenty years.  The Company has established a strong in-house project management resource base, coupled with a wide network of Senior Associate Consultants with proven track records in project management of complex development projects. Information Technology & Communications are strategic choices of Vakakis. Using top end of modern IC Technology is able to undertake integrated ICT projects or use its experience and knowledge to support major projects in other topics. Drawing upon this resource Vakakis is able to provide a comprehensive range of services in the field of project and programme management including: 

•     Establishment and development of Programme Management Units (PMU’s) and Project Implementation Units (PIU’s) and capacity building of local stakeholders

•      Development programme planning and advice to governments, development agencies and other institutions

•      Procurement services, preparation of tender documents, bid evaluation and contract award procedures

•       Elaboration of Work Programmes, Cost Estimates and Budgetary control

•       Establishment of tracking systems for technical and financial management of projects

•       Technical, financial and administrative backstopping of on-going operations

•       Information Technology (IT) & Communications

FINANCE, CREDIT AND GRANT FUND MANAGEMENT                              up▲

As public awareness and concerns have arisen over the allocation and use of international development funds, so the administrative systems and practices that exist to control aid have been strengthened.  Vakakis has been at the forefront of these changes.  The Company has been consistently engaged by the Greek Government to assist in management of structural funds and the development of management capacity in the allocation and use of these funds. This platform has allowed the extension of this experience to the management of numerous large-scale credit and grant funds in a variety of developing countries.  Services have included: 

•       Design of Financial Management Information Systems and procedures

•       Provision of training and capacity building within both the banking sector and intermediary organisations including agricultural co-operatives, associations and NGOs, to enable them to manage credit and grant programmes

•      Capacity building and training for the final beneficiaries of grant/credit schemes in development of project ideas and elaboration of successful applications

•       Establishment of new loan procedures to increase access to credit and finance for new target groups including 
   training of bank branch managers and credit officers

•       Screening and contracting of agent banks to administer new credit lines

•       Introduction of procedures and specialist methods to facilitate easier access to loans for SMEs, including women’s enterprises in rural areas

•       Credit programme promotion and awareness campaigns

•       Improving project risk management by facilitating better access to existing credit guarantee schemes

•       Assisting intermediary organisations in developing their own loan guarantee systems, which can be used to secure loans provided to their members

•       Introduction of audit and anti-fraud systems and procedures

INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES                                        up▲

Information and Communication Technologies department established in Vakakis in order to be able to provide specialised ICT services to Vakakis’ customers. Adopting the Microsoft.NET Visual Studio Environment a unique framework for developing Windows and Web Applications was created giving the ability to design and implement with the lease effort n-tier Applications using Object Oriented Processing (OOP). The framework developed using C# language and promises high productivity, thousand times higher performance than traditional development environments and hundred times better memory management than equivalent applications made without the use of OOP.

e–ergo Remote Project Management  System

Vakakis International s.a. recently uploaded its remote access information management system.

e–ergo, based on the latest Microsoft Visual Studio platform, was conceived and developed exclusively by the Vakakis ICT Department, to allow its managerial resources to monitor remotely the company’s Technical Assistance Projects, all over the world, through Internet.  No matter where the project is implemented (countries as diverse as Cambodia or Morocco), the remote access information management system, coupled with the company’s ISO procedures, becomes a powerful tool for truly live and on-line project management.

e–ergo gives the facility to the company’s Project Managers to follow operations from any place in the world (with internet connection available), optimizing thus accuracy, efficiency, effectiveness and productivity. Sharing of information, data, documents and financial management between HQ and project site becomes immediate, on-line and available simultaneously to all those involved in the project, regardless of their physical presence.

ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT                             up▲

Vakakis provides a range of consultancy services to promote the development of new enterprises in emerging markets, understanding this to be the driving force of economic development. Vakakis can draw on specialised expertise to assist in enterprise development in all rural sectors. This expertise has been successfully applied to an increasing number of service and industrial sectors.  Company experience, services and expertise in this area include: 

•      Technical advice on production, marketing, promotion and market penetration.

•       Institution Building/Training in Human Resource Management, Financial Management and General Business Management

•       Establishment of business incubators for the support of SMEs and start-ups

•       Comprehensive business planning and other support for the creation of new start-ups

•        Investment appraisals & feasibility studies

•        Market research, identification and promotion in emerging markets

•        Promotion of export and fostering of trade relations

•        Establishment of business development funds and management of grant schemes

•        Training in loan application analysis and evaluation

 AGRI-FOOD AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT                                   up▲

Vakakis maintains full-time senior management staff to support activities in this sector, and is currently operating EU funded rural development projects in South Africa, Laos, Yemen, Morocco, Mauritius, Mali and Panama. The projects are often large, complex and in remote regions making effective backstopping/management critical.  Services include: 

•       Integrated rural development strategic planning and programme design (at National, regional and local levels, based on accepted EU and/or international definitions)

•       Rural investment appraisals based on economic, social and technical criteria

•       Training and institutional strengthening of National, Regional, provincial and community stakeholders in participatory rural development planning

•       Rural Infrastructure design and planning (buildings, access roads, utilities and other essential rural services).

•       Enhancement of rural incomes through diversification of activities

•       Pilot demonstration and training for technologies that preserve the environment

•       Rural project / programme monitoring and evaluation

 REGIONAL AND LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT                                   up▲

Vakakis has extensive experience in the design and management of regional development programmes and investment schemes (particularly EU funded programmes).  Projects predominantly aim to enhance regional and local infrastructure and services and provide other linked support to promote regeneration of local communities.  Vakakis has well-established in-house systems and management practices to ensure direct and full participation of the local communities in the design, appraisal and implementation of programmes.  Vakakis has both past and on-going experience in overseeing large-scale EU investment programmes in regional development in Greece (€2.1 billion), Egypt (€95 m), Morocco (€25 m), Niger (€50 m) and Lebanon (€3.75 m). 
Services provided in this area include: 

•       Design of regional and local investment plans and programmes

•       Design, elaboration and implementation of regional/local marketing campaigns

•       Design of programme monitoring and evaluation systems (to assess impact)

•      Supervision of investment initiatives (pre-feasibility studies, construction planning, management of tendering procedures)

•       Know-how transfer to and on-the-job training of local counterparts

•       Management of the design and construction of infrastructure and services within the framework of regional development plans

•       Resettlement plans for rural populations as a result of infrastructure development

•       Participatory appraisals of local communities

POVERTY ALLEVIATION AND FOOD SECURITY                                          up▲

Poverty alleviation and the improvement of food security have been the objectives underpinning most of the large-scale projects and programmes implemented by Vakakis.  Services provided include:

•       Design of pro-poor policies and strategies for improvement of incomes and enhancement of local labour markets

•       Assessment of food production, capacity and potential (crops and livestock)

•       Assessment / restructuring of strategic food reserves and intervention bodies

•       Support the setting-up / management of community development with a special emphasis on women, youth and other disadvantaged groups

•      Creation and setting up of pro-poor credit structures to finance food security related production and associated services

ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT                            up▲

(with specialist expertise in Water, Forestry and Land resource management)

Within the framework of large Technical Assistance projects and studies funded by international donor agencies Vakakis has acquired significant expertise in evaluating the environmental impact of development, particularly in the area of land use, water resources and forestry resource management.  Vakakis has recently implemented projects with significant environmental and/or natural resource management components in Laos, Turkey, Swaziland, Mauritius, Mauritania, Mali and Niger.  In addition to the implementation of projects in this sector, senior members of Vakakis staff have experience in assisting in the preparation of projects for the United Nations-FAO, World Bank and the European Commission.  To complement this in-house technical capacity, modern GIS mapping capabilities have been established at the Company Headquarters in Athens to support the presentation/analysis of field data.  Examples of services provided in this area include: 

•     Land use planning and GIS mapping

•     Soil / land conservation techniques

•     Waste management for municipalities and regions

•      Policies, strategies, planning and management for forestry preservation / conservation

•      Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

•      Hydraulic and hydrologic analyses of river basin systems

•      Preparation of Water Quality Monitoring Plans

•      Water sanitation for rural communities

•      Analysis, planning, design/rehabilitation of irrigation water supply & distribution systems

•      Fish and intensive livestock farming impact assessments on water resources

•      Biodiversity conservation

•      Participatory watershed development

PUBLIC POLICY AND EU INTEGRATION                                      up▲

Based on its extensive experience of the harmonisation of Greek (and other EU country) institutions, legislation and services with those of the EU, Vakakis has extended this expertise to a range of developing countries who aspire to trade with, and ultimately to join, the EU and other multilateral institutions including WTO and regional trading groups.  Services provided by the Company in these areas include: 

•      Strategic planning

•      Policy advice, design, analysis and impact assessment

•      Training and advice on European Integration and application of EU rules and procedures (particularly as these relate to the Agri-Food Sector)

•       Legal approximation/ harmonisation including the use of gap analysis and legislative compliance grids

•       Acquis communautaire and its application in the agri-food sector

•       Establishment of EU institutional structures and systems required as part of the accession process (Competent authorities for sub-sector management of CMO’s, Payment agencies, structural fund management systems, trade and standards control services etc.)

INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHENING AND CAPACITY BUILDING                                up▲

An integral part of many of our international projects involves the strengthening of local capacity, ultimately to allow the beneficiary organisations to manage themselves, thereby ensuring sustainability.  The Company has developed particular expertise in the strengthening of Ministries responsible for the management of Agriculture, Food, Forestry, Water and Rural Sectors.  Services provided in this field include: 

•    Training needs assessment

•    Design of integrated training programmes for public institutions

•    Functional analysis

•    Financial management systems analysis and strengthening

•    Review and design of IT systems to improve internal and external information management and security

•    Human resource management

•    Vocational education and training

•    Implementation of demonstration activities and establishment of extension services

•    Study tours, conferences and workshops

PROJECT DESIGN, MONITORING AND EVALUATION                                       up▲

Vakakis has, for many years, been involved in the design and preparation of new projects and programmes and in the assessment of on-going or completed projects world-wide.  The Company has a long track record in the establishment and management of Project Management Units (PMU’s) and the development of local project cycle management capacity.  Services in this area include: 

•       Project feasibility studies

•       Project and programme planning

•       Monitoring and evaluation of projects and programmes

•       Design and delivery of participatory training courses in project cycle management (including detailed courses in logical framework, financial and economic project analysis and donor procedures for project cycle management)

•       Establishment of project cycle management systems within public institutions

•       Financial tracking systems for programme and project management

•       Training needs analysis and capacity building programmes for project management