LiberTrace - Establishing and Operating a Timber
Legality Verification Department (LVD) within
Liberia’s Forestry Development Authority (FDA)
and Building Capacity within FDA
Inception presentation
12/12/2013
Clinton Bambridge – LiberTrace Project Manager
Table of contents
 From LiberFor to LiberTrace
 Outputs of LiberTrace Project
 Liberia Legality Assurance System
 IT Solution - LegalTrace
 Project Initiated
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From LiberFor to LiberTrace
LiberFor
LiberTrace
Project initiated
12/2007 (60 months initially)
10/2013 (60 months)
Funding
USAID / GOL/ PROFOR (WB/EU/DFID) /
Autofinancing
EU / DFID
Context
2006:
Forest concessions cancelled
New Forestry Law enacted
UN sanctions on timber export lifted
2011: VPA signed between EU and GOL
2013: VPA ratified by GOL
•
•
•
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Main mandates
•
•
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Development / monitoring of
computerized COCIS
Timber export permits emission
Forest taxes collection
Capacity building
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•
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Continuity of LiberFor mandates
Building LVD
Development of a CoC + legality web
based application
Auditing companies’ legality
compliance
Licensing system (FLEGT Licenses)
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Project Objective
 Objective:
 Establish and Operate a Timber Legality Verification
Department (LVD) within Liberia’s Forestry Development
Authority (FDA) and Build Capacity within FDA
 Beneficiaries:
 FDA
 Ministry of Finance
 Stakeholders
 Partners:
 Forest sector operators
 VPA Support Unit
 FLEGT Coordinator
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LiberTrace Project – 5 Outputs
 Output 0: Project managed
 Output 1: LVD established
 Output 2: LVD capacities established
 Output 3 - Design and development of the LVS
 Output 4 - Design and development of the new COCIS
 Output 4/3 - Roll out of the new COCIS/LVS
 Output 5: LVD transferred to FDA
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Output 0 – Project Managed (60 months)
FDA Board of Directors
MOA., MOC, MOF, MOCIT, MOPEA,
Central Bank, FDA MD, etc.
DFID
SGS
Corporate
Direction
Project Board / Project Evaluation Committee
 Methodology
EFI
Quality
Assurance
 PRINCE2
 Project Management Team
 Management by quarterly
stages
 Quality management
 M&E system based on KPIs
 Work Packages
 Project Initiation
 Stage control
 Project closure
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LVD
Technical
Managers
Senior Users
LVD
Technical
Manager
FDA
MOF
DFID
Managing Represent- RepresenDirector
atives
tative
Executive
SGS
Managing
Director
Technical
Advisory
Committee
Senior Supplier
Project Manager
SGS Liberia/
Geneva
Project Support
Capacity-building
Team Leader
LAS
Team Leader
Project Management
Team
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Output 1 – LVD to be established
Project Manager
LVD
Technical Manager
Invoice processing
Coordinator
LAS
Team Leader
Administrative
Officer
Database Information
Manager
Operations
Manager
Trainee Operations
Manager
 Strategy
 Vision of the LVD: values,
responsibilities, organisation
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IT Expert
Capacity
Building
Team Leader
Trainee Database
Information Manager
Quality Manager
 Work Packages




LVD institutional design
Installation in FDA HQ
Key positions staffed
Administrative management system / Initial QMS
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Output 2 – Capacity built within the FDA
 Capacity-building Implementation Plan (CBIP)
 Capacity needs assessment,
 Deployment plan, staff management plan, training plan,
procurement plan, communication plan
 Training sessions
 Management: Leadership, Integrity, HSE, QMS
 IT: Basic IT, use of the COCIS & LVS, support and
maintenance
 Forestry: Regulation/FLEGT, Verification procedures,
timber grading & scaling
 Capacity-building approach
 Change management,
 “System builders”, Trainee/Graduate
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Output 3 – Design and Development of the Legality
Verification System
 The Legality Verification System is a key element of the Liberia
Legality Assurance System (LLAS)
 Design of Legality Verification Standard Operating Procedures
(SOPs). Consultation of stakeholders and field testing
 Based on EU/GOL VPA Legality Matrix
 Verification of compliance with the Legality Standard
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Output 4 - Design and development of the new
COCIS
 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
 Review of existing SOPs
 Design of new SOPs
 Stakeholders consultation and field testing
 Current COCIS used by LiberFor is LiberTrack
 LiberTrack will be progressively replaced by the new
COCIS based on SGS solution: LegalTraceTM
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SGS web application: LegalTraceTM
 LegalTraceTM is:
 The timber traceability and legality software developed by
SGS in compliance with VPA requirements.
 Built on the SGS “.Net” Framework already used worldwide
by SGS Group.
 A single software solution that manages traceability and
legality verification as well as the functionality enabling the
issuance of FLEGT licences.
 Based on the recommendations of SGS forestry and IT
experts, LegalTraceTM has been developed as a generic
system covering 80% of the requirements of any VPA.
The remaining 20% will be developed specifically for Liberia
into an application called LiberTrace.
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Outputs 3 & 4 - LVS & COCIS operated
 LVD Headquarters in Monrovia
 03 permanent field offices
 Intermittent presence in other sites
Operational team structure
COC Inspection teams
LV Inspection teams
COC / LV Rangers
COC/LV Data Management
Internal Auditing
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Output 5 – LVD transferred to the FDA
Month
2
 Recruitment and deployment
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 Transfer Plan approved by DFID and GOL
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25
 Pilot handover in one selected regional office
 Scaling up the handover in remaining regional offices based on
lessons learned from the pilot.
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 Handover of complete LVD headquarters functions, but with a
continuing backstopping and coaching/mentoring programme;
 LVD certified against ISO9001 standards
 Post-handover support provided by SGS
60
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Project Initiated: activities up to date
Outputs
Activities
Output 0: Project managed
 Meetings with key stakeholders
 Key resources mobilized
 Procurement initiated
 Reporting structures implemented
Output 1: LVD established
Job Descriptions of SGS/FDA Counterparts
drafted
Output 2: LVD capacities established
In progress
Output 3 - Design and development of the LVS
Deployment of Legality Expert – Dr. M. Brink
in progress
Output 4 - Design /development of the new COCIS
LiberTrace IT solution under development
Output 4/3 - Roll out of the new COCIS/LVS
Delivered project month 18
Output 5: LVD transferred to FDA
Transfer plan month 12 , implementation to
follow
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Thank you
Clinton BAMBRIDGE, Project Manager
Email: clinton.bambridge@sgs.com
Francis K. ODOOM, Project coordinator – Capacity building
Email: francis.odoom@sgs.com
Jerome LAPORTE, Project coordinator – LAS
Email: jerome.laporte@sgs.com
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