Program Review Board (PRB) Summary of Minutes – Jan.31, 2004

Attendees:
* Rodney Bent Chairman/Director Office of Management and Budget
* Frederick C. Smith Deputy Senior Advisor for the Office of Security Affairs
* Chris Milligan USAID
* Andy Bearpark Representative of Office of Operations & Infrastructure
* H. Dean Pittman Governance
* Michael Toner Coalition Joint Task Force – 7, Comptroller
* Aziz J. Hassan Iraq Ministry of Finance Representative
* Andrew Goledzinowski Council of International Coordination
* Yusaf Samiullah Representative of the United Kingdom Government
Col James Behring CPA - Comptroller
COL Kay Sommerkamp CPA – General Counsel
Jesse Pruett Program Review Board - Regional Programs Manager
Tony Bell CPA – HCA
Patricia W Hatcher CPA – Program Review Office - DCAA
Mary L. Beal CPA – Program Management Office
Reed Werner CPA – Office of Management and Budget
COL Mathew Mulhern CPA – Office of Management and Budget
Edgar Seely CPA - Ministry of Justice
Eric Pelofski CPA General Counsel
Nick Horne CPA - Ministry of Electricity
Taif Sami Ministry of Finance
COL Eric Engelbrektsson CPA – Office of Management and Budget


*Voting Members


The minutes from the PRB meetings of January 24, 2004 were approved.


The following Program Review Board Requests were presented to the Board for recommendation to the Administrator:

#628 – Spring Maintenance Procurement - The Ministry of Electricity requests money for parts and materials being procured through CPA Contracting on behalf of the Ministry of Electricity. Electricity infrastructural maintenance is widely considered a necessity to ensure that Iraq reaches its goal of 6,000 MW by 1, June 2004 and that, moreover, other ministries reliant on this electricity can achieve their own infrastructural goals within this timeframe. The requested funds are already included in the electricity program moneys allocated to the Ministry of Electricity within the 2004 Revised Iraqi Budget. The representative from the Ministry of Finance, abstaining from vote, requested that additional efforts be made to ensure that all future proposals be made transparent to the voting members with enough time for proper analysis and discussion. The Chairman reminded the representative of the Ministry of Finance that additional funding for electricity programs had been discussed with the Minister of Finance and included in the revised FY 2004 Iraqi budget. The proposal under discussion at the PRB for funding was included within that revised total for the Ministry of Electricity. Approved – DFI

#627 – DAP & Urea Fertilizer - $22,452,500 – The Ministry of Agriculture has requested the above funds for purchase orders of DAP and Urea fertilizer that were assigned to CPA by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. The three orders covered in the request were purchased without the Office of the Iraqi Programs encumbering the funds, thus precluding the Comptroller from paying these purchase orders until funds were made available to do so. CPA faces both legal obligations and operational necessities to cover these claims. Approved – DFI.

#626 – Commission of Public Integrity Building - The Ministry of Justice requested money for the purposes of establishing a viable office building for the Commission of Public Integrity within the parameters of the Green Zone (CPA-Baghdad). The building will be Iraqi Government property and is planned to stand up an initial staff of 80 persons working for the Commission and eventually will be staffed entirely with Iraqis. The representative for the Ministry of Finance asked if there was any unoccupied Ministry of Justice office space throughout Baghdad that could be considered as a more cost-effective alternative to the above proposal. The Ministry of Justice representatives replied that the Commission of Public Integrity is independent from all other Ministries and thus should operate in a distinctly independent facility as well. Approved – Seized.

#615 – Truck Spare Parts OFF Contract – The Ministry of Transportation and Communication has asked that this proposal be tabled until the next PRB, scheduled 7 February 2004.

#624 – Kuwaiti Airways Corporation vs. Iraqi Airways Company - The General Council’s Office has asked that this proposal be tabled until the next PRB, scheduled 8 February 2004.