10. Has there been a thorough review of customs and tax procedures for the importation of new technologies and products from a local government perspective?
Excerpts noted from customs/fiscal regulations
regarding importation of technology
Confirmation from customs authorities obtained or contacts developed to assist in expediting the process within tax authorities
11. Is there a disaster risk management and contingency plan in place to ensure sustainability of the project in case of common natural disasters?
Project plan is linked within city’s disaster risk man- agement plan
Project workplan integrates risk of natural disasters into planning prior to start of project to mitigate risk and project delay
12. Are there constant communication channels and progress updates to/from project partners and beneficiaries?
Progress reports shared and monitored by project partners according to an agreed schedule and workplan
Contextualized challenges according to project city
Negombo
Among the three beneficiary cities, Negombo faced the most challenges through- out the project. The project ultimately suffered from a variety of setbacks as a re- sult of commonplace challenges that stall the implementation of new technological solutions in many of South-East Asia’s cities: namely, dependence on limited local technical expertise, limited transport infrastructure to support technology trans- fer and logistics, bureaucratic barriers and weather-related delays. However, with many of these challenges addressed, the project continues to move forward. There appears to be a great opportunity for Premier Products to take part in the devel- opment and proliferation of new wastewater treatment technologies in Negombo and elsewhere in Sri Lanka.