Study of the technical guidance application on the specific allocation fund (DAK) for road infrastructure (2017): Case study in the Public Works Office of West Sumatra

Abstract

The specific allocation fund (DAK) is one of the central government programs used to provide the road infrastructure in regions of Indonesia. DAK 2017 used the technical guidelines for the implementation of the specific allocation fund in the infrastructure sector. The technical guidelines are a very important guideline in the implementation of DAK since the guidelines are composed according to the aim of ensuring the implementation or management of DAK for road infrastructure in accordance with the provisions, which should be orderly in their implementation and on target. A number of problems have been identified during the implementation: for instance, a low absorption of funds due to delays in the procurement process as well as changes in the organisational structure of DAK. Therefore, this research aimed to fill in the gaps in the issues in order to solve the problems encountered in the implementation of DAK for road infrastructure. This research was focused on the implementation of DAK in Payakumbuh, Bukittinggi, and Solok City, which are known as centres of economic growth in West Sumatra. They also support Padang city, the capital of the West Sumatra province. The study was mainly centred on the application of the technical guidance and any problems encountered. It was a qualitative research study and it applied the triangulation method as the validated approach. The results show that both Payakumbuh and Solok City have fulfilled the ten indicators of DAK implementation, on the other hand, Bukittinggi city can only fulfil nine indicators. In relation to the indicators of the handling program’s determination, the three other study sites did not apply what was instructed in the technical guideline in terms of conducting a survey to determine the road condition. In addition, these sites also did not send quarterly reports to the inspectors.