Commander's Emergency Response Program in Iraq Funds Many Large-Scale Projects

Abstract : In May 2003, the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) formalized the Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP) in Iraq, authorizing U.S. field commanders to use available funds to respond to urgent humanitarian, relief, and reconstruction requirements within a commander's area of responsibility by executing programs that immediately assist indigenous populations and achieve "focused effects." CERP guidance directs commanders to focus funds on projects that improve water and sanitation, electricity, and civic cleanup and that employ the most Iraqis over an extended period of time. Selection of a project is expected to be based on how quickly they can be executed, how many Iraqis would be employed, how many would benefit, and the "visibility" of the project. Initial funding for CERP came from seized Iraqi assets and the Development Fund for Iraq. By late 2003 the United States began to appropriate U.S. dollars to CERP and by the end of fiscal year 2007, Congress has appropriated over $2.3 billion for the CERP program in Iraq. The Multi-National Corps-Iraq is the overall program coordinator for CERP. MNC-I publishes Money as a Weapon System (MAAWS), a policies and procedures manual that directs program execution and establishes the goals for CERP funding. This SIGIR report contrasts funding devoted to small-scale projects typically associated with the CERP program with funding devoted to more expensive, large-scale CERP projects; it also provides observations regarding the applicability of selected management issues identified in prior SIGIR reviews, and lessons learned noted in this review that could be important to managing such projects.