The Ministry of Interior has established a working group to monitor and evaluate the implementation of commune budgets to improve quality, effectiveness, transparency, accountability and inclusiveness. Civil society officials also advocate for commune funds to be spent on development beyond just roads.

The decision, signed by minister Sar Sokha on July 26, states that the group comprises 18 members from institutions under the ministry and the National Committee for Sub-National Democratic Development (NCDD).

The task force is responsible for overseeing the preparation of the annual list of recipients (bidders) at the capital and provincial administration levels. They will oversee the preparation of project proposal documents and project contracts, as well as monitor and evaluate announcements of notifications on the bidding for commune projects at the commune, district, provincial and capital levels, including those posted on the NCDD website.

The group will also monitor the preparation of the bidding meetings for projects under the commune development budget and ensure the quality and quantity of project results.

"This working group must monitor and evaluate the actions taken by capital and provincial administrations regarding the bidders if their project implementation is not in accordance with the contract or the manual on the implementation of commune fund projects,” Sokha said.

It must also “suggest adjustments to the forms and procedures for the preparation and implementation of commune fund projects”.

He said standards should be simple and convenient.

The group must also monitor and research irregularities highlighted in newspapers or on social media.

The task force will advise ministry leaders on discipline or punishment of any officials involved in irregularities in the organisation and implementation of projects.

Recently, there have been social media posts about the construction of concrete roads in some communes that do not seem to follow set standards, such as steel laid on the road without any rock beneath.

Additionally, last week, Sokha issued a decision to prevent chaos in the bidding process.

Lam Socheat, executive director of the Advocacy and Policy Institute (API), said the establishment of the working group is a positive development.

However, he noted that the group only supervises at the national level, alongside existing planning and budget committees at each commune.

"But the challenge is to address this issue effectively; it will take a long time to monitor all processes of planning, budgeting, procurement and monitoring the quality of projects at every step. These tasks require many skilled individuals to investigate and analyse the detailed information of technical budgeting and procurement projects,” he said.

Regarding the existing commissions in the communes, he mentioned that they could handle some cases where there were complaints about irregularities or through feedback from civil society organisations (CSOs) working on transparency and social accountability.

Socheat also pointed out that limited budgets for commune development are an issue because the available funds are often concentrated on infrastructure, like roads and bridges, with less spending on vulnerable groups and projects for social and environmental development.

He also said that although the government's policy focuses on education, resilience to climate change, protection of natural resources and security in villages and communes, the budget for these areas remains small.

Socheat called for cooperation between the ministry and CSOs to provide comprehensive information to the public, such as through The Citizen Budget Analysis website prepared by NGOs. He also urged the government to increase funding for local development, especially on social issues beyond road construction.

Pech Pisey, executive director of Transparency International Cambodia, noted that the mechanism for managing commune budgets has improved, requiring commune councils to listen to citizens’ opinions about their needs and problems. However, he also observed that the budget is often spent excessively on building roads, bridges or other infrastructure.

"I think this is an encouraging point for the commune authorities to start thinking about other services, particularly related to the promotion of children, women, the elderly and other social services.

“They could also use the budget to design business projects, ecotourism and development initiatives that can provide regular income for the communes,” he said.

“We encourage commune authorities to start considering these options in addition to building infrastructure,” he added.

On the topic of commune project bidding, Pisey observed that in some cases, bidders set lower prices to secure the project, which subsequently affects the quality of the project.

He mentioned that the ministry is preparing to revise the procedures and legal principles on procurement at the sub-national level, which is seen as a hopeful step towards solving the problems existing in the bidding process.

"Once the revision is ready, we expect improvements in bidding and procurement. Our NGO is also contributing input to this process,” he said.

According to the summary budget document for 2024 released by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the total commune budget stands at 763 million riel, or about $188,300. Of this, the budget for commune development is 410 million riel, or $101,000 per year, marking an increase of 14.5 per cent compared to 2023.