Publication: Georgia Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability Performance Assessment Report: City of Batumi
Date
2018-10
ISSN
Published
2018-10
Author(s)
World Bank Group
Abstract
The purpose of this PEFA assessment is
to provide an objective analysis of the present performance
of the PFM system in the City of Batumi against the PEFA
indicators. This PEFA provides an assessment of PFM in the
municipality and establishes a PEFA baseline using the 2016
PEFA methodology. The assessment covered expenditures by
subnational government budgetary units. Revenues are
collected by the Georgia Revenue Services on behalf of the
municipality and this was considered not applicable. There
are no extra-budgetary units and no local government below
the municipality level. The assessment team visited the
municipality from June 5 to 9, 2018 (fieldwork for the
assessment). The financial years covered for indicators that
required assessing over three years are 2015 to 2017.
Overall, the results of the PEFA show that public financial
management systems in the City of Batumi are strong and
improved as the PFM Reform Action Plan has been implemented.
The aggregate expenditure side of the budget performs
largely according to plan. The Georgian Treasury
consolidates cash balances in the treasury single account on
a daily basis. A cash flow forecast is prepared annually for
the year to come and is updated quarterly on the basis of
actual inflows and outflows often due to relatively frequent
supplementary budget. Budgetary units are able to plan and
commit expenditure for one year in advance on the basis of
quarterly ceilings, in accordance with the budgeted
appropriations and commitment releases. An overriding
feature of PFM in the Georgia both at the Central and
Subnational levels of government has been the development
and good use of Information Technology in budget
preparation, budget execution (accounts, commitment control,
and cash management), personnel and payroll, revenue
services, and procurement. The application of the IT has
been developed in-country based on business processes in
each of the subject areas (redefined as necessary) and not
on the reconfiguration of business practices to suit
software. This adoption of IT solutions combined with the
internet as a vehicle for its implementation by competent
and trained personnel (with appropriate control) has been
fundamental to the development of strengths in PFM. The
integration of IT, internet and personnel has resulted in
PFM’s positive effectiveness and efficiency.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank Group. 2018. Georgia Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability Performance Assessment Report: City of Batumi. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/31001 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”