Twins, godfathers and sandwiches : evaluation report on the twinning arrangements between Dutch and Indonesian water supply companies : Vol. 1: general findings

Twinning arrangements between seven Dutch and seven Indonesian water supply companies aim to improve operational management through the transfer of know-how to the Indonesian water companies. The first of these arrangements started in May 1986 and the most recent one in September 1990. Most twinning arrangements focus on unaccounted-for water. Other fields of co-operation include technical operation and maintenance, administration, and public relations. The relations are maintained through short-term visits, but the level of staff exchanged differs (operator level on the Dutch side, managerial level on the Indonesian part). This evaluation of the arrangements shows a bias towards technical over managerial fields, with little use made of existing materials and structures. There is no joint reporting and reports are not mutually accessible. Yet twinning has a positive impact on institution development, human resources development, and operation and maintenance, the main field of attention. Still, twinning is carried out at a low-key level and consequently does not have a substantial effect on the Indonesian water companies as a whole. Proposals for improvement cover increased attention for management and administration, better selection of twinning partners, joint reporting in a standard format, and more involvement of the Indonesian Public Works Department in the twinning arrangements.