Minister Seleso opens Commercial Contract Management System and Operations and Maintenance training
On Monday, February 16th, the newly appointed Minister of Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening (MPGIS), Hon. Rollen Seleso, officially opened a five-day training for 18 Provincial Engineers and MPGIS officers on Commercial Contract Management System (CCMS+) and Operations and Maintenance. This marks the first official engagement with the Ministry since he took over as the Minister of MPGIS as a result of the recent Cabinet reshuffle.
The training focuses on the CCMS+, a system developed to assist in the management of contracts, structuring Bills of Quantities, tracking progress, and documenting field activities using GeoCam. The training on the CCMS+ is being facilitated by Mr Rollie Osayan from the Philippines, a consultant hired by the World Bank-funded IEDCR project.
In his opening remarks, Minister Seleso highlighted the importance of the CCMS+ training as a critical step in strengthening provincial systems and ensuring that infrastructure built by the provinces is sustainable, climate-resilient, and properly maintained.
“At the same time, the rollout of the Contract Management System (CCMS+) marks a major advancement in how we track, monitor, and report on the Provincial Capacity Development Fund (PCDF) and other development projects,” he said.
The minister told the participants that the introduction of standardised operations and maintenance manuals for PCDF and other development projects at the provincial level provides clear guidance for the effective operation and upkeep of provincial assets. He told the engineers that during the five-day training they would deepen their understanding of operations and maintenance responsibilities and the practices required to ensure infrastructure assets last longer and deliver better services.
Minister Seleso further emphasised that the sustainability of infrastructure throughout the country ultimately depends on the work the engineers do. He noted that their technical leadership, attention to detail, and commitment to proper maintenance will determine whether these investments continue to serve communities for many years to come.
While encouraging engineers to participate actively, share experiences, and make full use of the opportunity, Minister Seleso assured them of the Ministry’s commitment to supporting their work in implementing these systems across the provinces.
In his brief remarks, Hon. Seleso acknowledged the World Bank for its continued commitment to the Ministry and provincial governments through the Integrated Economic Development and Community Resilience Project (IEDCR), which helps strengthen provincial systems, infrastructure, and resilience across Solomon Islands.
“I also acknowledge the strong partnership between the World Bank and Solomon Islands Government. Their sustained support has enabled our provincial governments to improve infrastructure planning, implementation, and long-term management—investments that directly benefit our rural communities,” the Minister said.
Equally important, Hon. Seleso acknowledged the leadership of the provincial governments, and highlighting that over the years, the provincial assemblies, executive governments, and the hard-working technical officers have demonstrated remarkable dedication in implementing capital development projects.
“Through the Provincial Capacity Development Fund (PCDF) alone, more than 1,600 solid projects have been delivered across all provinces, which include health facilities, classrooms, markets, water systems, staff houses, and many other assets that continue to improve the daily lives of our ordinary people,” Hon. Seleso said.
SOURCE: MPGIS PRESS RELEASE
