Effective Public Investment Management (PIM) requires purposeful leadership and specialized competencies in the public sector. These competencies encompass specific knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors that professionals need to carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively. To generate good public investment outcomes, it is crucial to have the right personnel in the right positions, both in central PIM roles but also across various government levels. At the same time, these personnel should be supported with appropriate training resources, clear procedures and strong digital workflows. These need to be aligned with international good practices, as well as their country-specific institutional contexts.

The World Bank’s 8 Must-Haves (8MHs) identify the key PIM cycle functions that public sector personnel are expected to fulfill in improved infrastructure outcomes. While some PIM aspects can be outsourced, essential skills remain necessary to define, contract, and utilize these inputs effectively. Gaps in specific PIM skills echo some of the wider challenges in successful Public Administration Reform (PAR) across the region. Skills deficits in key Public Financial Management (PFM) functions impede daily technical operations as well as reform leadership amid efforts towards European Union accession.

The relationship between PIM skills and results also needs to be framed against outcome metrics. Beyond putting in place core systems, the success of PIM policies and practices is measured by their impact. Key outcome indicators include the number and value of projects subject to PIM at minimum standards prescribed by policies; cost and time overruns during implementation; the number and value of projects subject to climate change and environmental due diligence; and the efficiency of public investment spending and perceived quality of public infrastructure.

A systematic approach is needed to evaluate effective organizational structures, competency frameworks, and performance metrics for individuals and task teams. At the same time, emerging technologies, such as big data and artificial intelligence (AI), are transforming the PIM landscape and necessitating relevant skills for effective utilization.

The event is defined a core curriculum of PIM skills for the public sector. The event focused on central PIM authorities (typically set in Ministries of Finance), public investment project owners from national agencies and sub-national governments, and Public Sector Academies expected to deliver continuous quality PIM training/competency building across different country settings. The event also engaged international development partners from agencies such as the EC, IMF, and OECD with expertise in international good practice PIM. The event generated consensus on the key skills/competencies needed to strengthen PIM skills in a scalable and sustainable way across the region.

The workshop formed part of the lead-up to a conference in Vienna from 17 to 19 September, 2025. Specifically, the workshop will serve to:

• Achieve a common understanding of key PIM delivery skills, regional capacity gaps, and issues through brief scene-setting interventions.
• Crowdsource and prioritize capacity/skills issues and possible solutions that can be presented and refined at the September event in Vienna.
• Discuss the possible design of a PIM curriculum and competency framework.