1. 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

2. Table of contents From LiberFor to LiberTrace
Outputs of LiberTrace Project
Liberia Legality Assurance System
IT Solution - LegalTrace
Project Initiated
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3. From LiberFor to 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
Main mandates
Development / monitoring of computerized COCIS
Timber export permits emission
Forest taxes collection
Capacity building
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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4. Project Objective Objective: Beneficiaries: Partners:
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

5. 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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6. Output 0 – Project Managed (60 months)
Methodology
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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7. Output 1 – LVD to be established
Strategy
Vision of the LVD: values, responsibilities, organisation
Work Packages
LVD institutional design
Installation in FDA HQ
Key positions staffed
Administrative management system / Initial QMS
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8. 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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9. 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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10. 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

11. 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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12. 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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13. Output 5 – LVD transferred to the FDA
Month 2 24
Recruitment and deployment
Transfer Plan approved by DFID and GOL
Pilot handover in one selected regional office
Scaling up the handover in remaining regional offices based on lessons learned from the pilot.
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 12 25 43 60 49 51
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14. 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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15. Thank you Clinton BAMBRIDGE, Project Manager
Francis K. ODOOM, Project coordinator – Capacity building
Jerome LAPORTE, Project coordinator – LAS
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16.
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