BECC and NADB provide training on public works bidding processes to three Chihuahua communities

BECC and NADB offered this training in support of one of its organizational goals in providing institutional capacity building for municipalities, and is intended to contribute to advance transparency and accountability, as well as to improve procurement practices.

The training was targeted to the Public Works and Public Services Directors of the municipalities of Madera, Nuevo Casas Grandes, and Villa Ahumada, Carlos Arturo Gomez, Saul Estrada, and Octavio Cortez, respectively. These communities received US $1.1 million in grant assistance through the NADB's Community Assistance Program (CAP).

In December 2016, the NADB and the mayors of these municipalities signed CAP Grant Agreements that will allow the communities to finance their respective projects for the purchase of machinery and trucks to ensure the efficient operation of their landfills.

BECC Program Manager Laureano Alvarez explained that the main objective of this training course was "to establish and coordinate with the municipalities of Villa Ahumada, Madera, and Nuevo Casas Grandes, the bidding processes that will be followed for the procurement of landfill equipment.”

Jorge Sanchez, one of the course instructors and a nationally and internationally recognized expert in solid/hazardous waste management and environmental risk and impact, said this theoretical and hands-on training helps to establish “the rules of the game” for participating municipalities, so they can better prepared to select available equipment. Mr. Sanchez who is part of the SICO Consulting Firm emphasized that this type of training “is not common in Mexico.”

Additionally, Rosa Maria Trevizo, an advisor for the Secretariat of Urban Development and Ecology (SEDUE) of the State of Chihuahua, said this type of instruction “promotes compliance with SEMARNAT´s NOM 083 Standard –which addresses urban solid waste disposal sites– and she hopes this effort  be replicated in other municipalities.”

The Nuevo Casas Grandes Director of Public Services said this training has key importance because “we came to learn about the terms and conditions that need to be met to use NADB grant resources, and to clarify some questions we had about the bidding process.” He said in his experience as a public official, “this is the first time I have had the chance to participate in this type of training.”

NADB consultant Eddy Cervantes said this training exercise “also contributed to improve the cities´ability to manage NADB´s documents and policies related to public works bidding processes.” Cervantes´ presentation focused on streamlining the handling of bidding documents and also providing support throughout all the stages of this process.

In addition to Public Services directors and officials, the training course was also attended by BECC staff members, as well as Rosa Maria Trevizo and Dina Lopez on behalf of SEDUE.