Delivering on Herculean Promises: Implementing Effective Delivery Units for Indonesia’s Agenda

The Indonesian government under President Prabowo has determined to undertake herculean missions. As part of one of its objectives of tackling poverty and food insecurity, the government has rolled out its ambitious Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program. This massive effort aims to cut Indonesia’s stunting rate of 21.5% to five percent by 2045 by providing free meals to millions of eligible schoolchildren and pregnant women. In another example of the scale of the government’s initiatives, the Ministry of Forestry has also proposed releasing 20 million hectares of Indonesia’s forests for food and energy estates–an area twice the size of South Korea.

Achieving these missions, however, will require overcoming a steep uphill journey fraught with many pitfalls, many of which stem from a perceived lack of coordination within the government’s policy making institutions. Question marks have been raised surrounding the funding of the MBG program’s IDR 71 trillion cost in 2025. The Presidential Communication Office (KKK) has confirmed that parts of the program are still being financed through President Prabowo’s personal funds, a practice that may be in conflict with State Finance Law (No. 17/2003) and the Government Administration Law (No. 30/2014). The Ministry of Forestry’s food and energy estates plan may also jeopardize the government’s own Nationally Determined Contribution commitments of reducing deforestation by 56% between 2021 and 2030. The recently formed Ministry of Forestry’s subordination to the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs also raises further questions surrounding its own balancing act between environmental sustainability and economic priorities. Finally, the government’s ability to fund these large-scale programs is further complicated by the uncertainty surrounding the rollout of its 12% VAT increase at the end of 2024. The policy’s scope changed several times, from a universal increase to a luxury tax in the last few hours before its ratification. These sudden and often unpredictable shifts only serve to create administrative difficulties for businesses and introduce an element of apprehension into the economic landscape.

These early teething issues reflect significant coordination and governance hurdles that will require a more structured policy execution to overcome. When confronted with similar policy challenges, many other countries ranging from Colombia to Malaysia have elected to establish Delivery Units to oversee priority programs. These are special task-forces to ensure effective implementation of key government initiatives through improved target-setting, planning, stakeholder coordination, and accountability frameworks. In this article, we suggest that the Indonesian government should follow suit in the hopes of achieving its monumental objectives.

Delivery Unit: Defining Its Role and Urgency

A Delivery Unit (DU) is a specialized team operating under the head of government to ensure effective policy execution. It focuses on monitoring, troubleshooting, and driving cross-sector collaboration to improve outcomes in priority areas.

DUs bridge the gap between policy formulation and tangible results. It secures resources, streamlines coordination, and translates political commitments into measurable action which is critical in mitigating political and reputational risks from policy failures.

UKP4: A Precedent for Indonesia’s Delivery Unit Development

The concept of a Delivery Unit is not new to Indonesia. Under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), the Presidential Work Unit for Development Monitoring and Oversight (UKP4) was established between 2009 and 2014 to enhance governance efficiency. Led by Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, a respected leader known for his post-tsunami reconstruction efforts, UKP4 aimed to monitor policy implementation, assess ministerial performance, and resolve execution challenges.

By the 100th day of SBY’s second term, UKP4 reported that 127 out of 129 action plans had been completed. These included expediting passport issuance, expanding access to clean water, and improving internet infrastructure. UKP4 also adopted a collaborative monitoring approach through quarterly evaluations and citizen reporting mechanisms like Citizens Online Aspiration Reporting Service (LAPOR).

Despite its success, UKP4 faced limitations, including challenges in measuring effectiveness, resistance from ministers, and limited authority. Confidential performance reports reduced public accountability, while some ministers resisted external evaluations. Nevertheless, the UKP4 model inspired local governments to adopt similar governance tools, highlighting the importance of leadership, clear priorities, and strong oversight in achieving public sector reform.

Prabowo’s Current ‘Delivery Units’

Currently, President Prabowo has several executive offices supporting the presidency, including the Ministry of State Secretariat (Kemensetneg), the Cabinet Secretariat (Seskab), the Presidential Staff Office (KSP), the Presidential Communications Office (KKK), and the Agency for Development Oversight and Special Investigations (BPPIK). Additionally, the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) also plays a role. The KKK and BPPIK are newly established institutions directly accountable to the President, whereas the other ministries and agencies existed in the previous administration. The presence of multiple presidential institutions with overlapping mandates only complicates messaging and policy implementation. By definition and law, the KKK, KSP, and parts of Kemensetneg all serve as Delivery Units, although not in terms of direct program implementation, but rather, in strategic planning, information management, political communication, and inter-ministerial coordination.

According to Presidential Regulation No. 82 of 2024 on KKK (Articles 3-4) and Presidential Regulation No. 83 of 2019 on KSP (Articles 2-3), both institutions assist the President in political communication, strategic policy resolution, evaluation, monitoring, inter-ministerial coordination, and oversight of presidential priority programs. Meanwhile, Kemensetneg, which previously housed the Cabinet Support Secretariat as a non-structural entity, has now integrated these functions. As a result, it shares similar responsibilities with KKK and KSP, including policy monitoring, evaluation, and providing recommendations.

This regulatory framework highlights significant overlaps in roles and functions across these institutions. In practice, the KKK, KSP, and Cabinet Support Secretariat within Kemensetneg all contribute to strategic planning, policy evaluation, inter-agency communication, and monitoring government programs. This redundancy could create inefficiencies in both planning and execution, ultimately hindering the core function of a Delivery Unit, which is to accelerate government performance. Rather than improving delivery, the fragmentation of responsibilities could slow down decision-making and implementation.

To address this, strengthening the Delivery Unit by integrating these institutions is essential to reduce redundancies and improve coordination. If a formal Delivery Unit is to be established or reinforced, it must be led by a single organizational entity that oversees all executive support offices. An effective Delivery Unit should be centralized within one institution to ensure streamlined mandates, clear jurisdiction, and improved performance. However, such centralization also requires a strong institutional foundation, built upon five key principles that define an effective and functional Delivery Unit.

Key Components of an Effective Delivery Unit

As the Prabowo Administration moves forward with its bold agendas, the challenge is on to meet high public expectations. The establishment or strengthening of a Delivery Unit (DU) could serve as a key mechanism to ensure the realization of the administration’s ambitious political vision. This unit would perform five core functions:

Overall, a well-functioning DU helps streamline bureaucratic efforts to achieve government priorities more effectively.

1. Defining Priority Targets

A Delivery Unit’s primary role is to coordinate across sectors and translate the priorities of the President (or head of government) into actionable targets. Therefore, a clear and unified vision is essential in structuring the DU’s work. This requires an agreement among all involved sectors on key priorities, ensuring consistency in implementation. Cross-sectoral collaboration in setting these targets enhances coherence and alignment, preventing fragmented policy execution.

Once priorities are set, they must be broken into specific, measurable sub-targets to drive progress. These intermediate results clarify ministerial responsibilities, keep priorities politically relevant yet achievable, align implementation strategies, provide data-driven insights for accountability, enable swift course correction, and foster cross-sectoral collaboration to resolve bottlenecks.

A Delivery Unit can facilitate priority-setting processes, such as in the case of the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK). For example, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-21) in Paris 2021, under President Jokowi’s leadership, Indonesia ratified its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), committing to net-zero emissions by 2060. However, the subsequent restructuring of ministries into three separate entities resulted in a shift in priorities toward the food estate program, which directly contradicts Indonesia’s NDC commitments. This misalignment illustrates the challenges of inconsistent priority-setting across ministries, reinforcing the need for a Delivery Unit to harmonize inter-agency objectives and prevent conflicting policies.

2. Supporting Detailed Planning Processes

Detailed planning, as the second principle in this framework, transforms homogeneous priorities and tangible targets into a systematic methodology. A well-structured plan includes both strategic and managerial elements, enabling more precise monitoring and execution. This involves: a) defining clear coordination mechanisms for implementation; b) establishing a timeline with key milestones and deadlines; c) tracking progress through measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs); and d) outlining a performance trajectory to evaluate outcomes and make necessary adjustments. A strong planning framework ensures that policy execution remains on track, facilitates mid-course corrections, and strengthens accountability.

Case Study: Pernambuco, Brazil

A more detailed planning approach can be seen in the strategic planning used by Brazil’s Pernambuco Delivery Unit. The planning was carried out by their team in the Secretariat of Planning and Management and involved designing and implementing a strategy map. During the 2012-2015 period, the strategy map was developed with 12 strategic objectives, each encompassing its own priority targets. These priority targets were focused on government expenditures and work, such as infrastructure projects. Additionally, each priority target was linked to the annual budget law, ensuring a system that guided resource allocation. This strategy map planning allowed for a clear presentation of expected outcomes, program budgets, deadlines, and specific targets within the desired trajectory.

Case Study: Peru

Another example comes from Peru. The planning approach of Peru’s Delivery Unit follows a more methodological framework. They design strategic activities to achieve all targeted priorities. Specifically, in their efforts to bridge the literacy gap among children in rural areas, they facilitated technical workshops to identify obstacles hindering implementation. This comprehensive problem identification process included assessing factors that influence learning improvements and developing intervention plans to enhance the teaching strategies used by educators to support student learning. This strategy reduces political distractions by offering opportunities to identify quick wins and provides methodological tools to all supporting sectors involved.

3. Monitoring and Controlling Implementation

The role of a Delivery Unit (DU) is not to execute programs directly in the field but to drive implementation through administrative and substantive work. This involves engaging key stakeholders who have the authority to execute programs. As a unit operating directly under the President, the DU plays a critical role in coordinating, monitoring, and ultimately controlling the implementation of priority programs.

At its core, this function ensures that planned policies and targets are translated into action. Implementation involves coordinating stakeholders, designing programs based on government priorities, and developing data collection methods that support policy planning and decision-making. This principle consists of two key components: data collection and analysis, as well as routine monitoring.

A Delivery Unit (DU) stands out by supporting stakeholders in fulfilling responsibilities rather than directly executing tasks. Key best practices include aggregating and analyzing data for leadership, facilitating governance reforms, identifying inefficiencies, bridging leadership with field data, and integrating feedback for continuous improvement.

A notable example is Indonesia’s Presidential Staff Office (KSP) under Jokowi’s first term, especially when drafting and researching Presidential Regulation No. 86 of 2018 on Agrarian Reform. During this process, KSP collaborated with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs, Bappenas, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, and various civil society organizations to determine seven priority locations for agrarian reform implementation.

Selection criteria were based on local conditions, regional needs, and community
experiences. Through stakeholder coordination, KSP identified a major bottleneck: the absence of a centralized land data repository, leading to mismatched information. For example, 700,000 hectares of land utilization data and 600,000 hectares of transmigration land distribution data were inconsistent or unavailable.

To address this, KSP facilitated inter-ministerial communication through informal meetings like Breakfast Meetings and established the Agrarian Reform Task Force (GTRA) as a central information hub. This effort led to the issuance of Presidential Regulation No. 86 of 2018, which set a clear land reform target of 21.7 million hectares, and Presidential Regulation No. 88 of 2017, which facilitated the reallocation of land within forest zones.

Similarly, Colombia’s Delivery Unit, under its National Planning Department and Sinergia, developed a data-driven monitoring and evaluation system. This system helped leaders define sectoral priorities within the President’s framework.

For instance, in national defence, the DU identified the homicide rate per 100,000 people as a key performance indicator. After analyzing historical trends and sociopolitical factors, such as increased urban violence following peace negotiations with FARC (the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), the DU adjusted its strategy by introducing additional initiatives to enhance success rates.

4. Stakeholder Coordination

A structured and time-bound policy lab is one of the most effective mechanisms for improving stakeholder coordination. These intensive, multi-week workshops bring together representatives from government agencies, the private sector, and civil society organizations to define policy challenges, analyze root causes, and collaboratively develop actionable solutions.

These labs foster continuous iteration, where participants refine strategies through
consultations and feedback loops, ensuring solutions are both practical and measurable. The key outcomes often include detailed project plans, performance metrics, and clear implementation roadmaps, which enhance clarity and accountability in policy execution.

A prime example of this approach is Malaysia’s Performance Management Delivery Unit (PEMANDU). Under the National Transformation Program, PEMANDU facilitated 6-9 week lab sessions that translated national priorities into actionable projects. These labs ensured that cross-sectoral collaboration shaped decision-making, aligning expertise from different stakeholders. By doing so, the process not only fostered stakeholder ownership but also established a robust framework for coordination, monitoring, and adaptation of ongoing initiatives.

5. Accountability & Public Reporting

Lessons from PEMANDU Malaysia and Indonesia’s UKP4 highlight the importance of strong public reporting mechanisms in reinforcing government accountability. A transparent, data-driven reporting system allows for early identification of bottlenecks and ensures that corrective actions are taken promptly.

Moreover, unresolved issues should follow a structured escalation process, progressing from ministerial steering committees to higher authorities, and ultimately to the President when necessary. This ensures that critical policy challenges receive the necessary political backing and intervention.

To further enhance transparency, the Delivery Unit (DU) should publish regular performance reports (i.e. on a quarterly, semi-annual, or annual basis) detailing progress against key performance indicators (KPIs) and explaining any deviations. Independent third-party audits can validate these reports, providing an objective evaluation of government performance and reinforcing commitment to results-driven governance.

Delivery Unit is a Necessity

The Indonesian government, under President Prabowo, has committed to colossal initiatives such as the Free Nutritious Meal program as well as the Ministry of Forestry’s plan to develop food and energy estates, aimed at addressing critical national challenges. Successfully achieving these large-scale objectives, however, will require overcoming significant coordination and governance hurdles, as evidenced by early challenges in program funding and policy alignment. The establishment of Delivery Units will be crucial in navigating these complexities and ensuring effective policy execution.

Delivery Units, specialized teams designed to streamline implementation, offer a solution by improving target-setting, planning, stakeholder coordination, and accountability frameworks. These units facilitate the translation of policy into tangible results, ensure efficient resource allocation, and mitigate political and reputational risks associated with policy failures. By adopting this model, the Indonesian government can enhance its capacity to deliver on its promises and achieve its developmental goals more effectively.