Invitation To Bid Consultancy Services For Research On Sustainability And Governance Of Water Supply System In Somalia/land

Title of Consultancy

CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR RESEARCH ON SUSTAINABILITY AND GOVERNANCE OF WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM IN SOMALIA/LAND

SCI Contracting Office

Save the Children Somalia Country Office

Advert Date

3rd September 2023

Deadline

17th September 2023

Consultant type required

Individual or Firm

Responsibility for Logistics arrangements and Costs

Save the children will pay the consultant fee in installments and the consultant will cover their own logistical arrangements and costs; including food, accommodation and local transport and all cost associated with data collection work and other activities

Taxation Provisions

Consultant shall be responsible for all Taxes arising from the consultancy in line with the local Tax regulations applicable at the SCI contracting office named above.

Travel requirements

The consultant will cover his/her travel costs (tickets) and arrange local travel to field sites

Security requirements

Consultant will comply with standard of Save the Children Security procedures, including the completion of SCI online security training, adhering to the terms of access negotiation and maintaining low profile while in Somalia

1.      Background:

Somalia is emerging from decades of protracted conflicts, recurrent draughts and floods, disease outbreaks and locust infestation which further exacerbate and deepened the scale and the scope of humanitarian crises in the country. The country’s water system is characterized by serious gaps of human and financial resources, poor water governance system where water sector is fragmented with limited coordination and cooperation among various key stakeholders.

The humanitarian emergency in Somalia is complex and it’s characterized by massive displacement, food insecurity, extreme water shortage, limited sanitation, and hygiene facilities. The number of people in humanitarian need including WASH services has raised from 5.2 million people in 2020 to 7.7 million in 2022. With this regard, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) has implemented Sustainable Opportunities for More Accessible Livelihoods and Integrated Assistance project in Somalia with aim to address the humanitarian needs including the immediate and long-term WASH needs by improving water access of safe and drinking water for human and livestock in humanitarian crises. Among key intervention components under WASH sector include strengthening and rebuilding the resilience of water supply through rehabilitation and construction of water sources, establish and train water management committees to manage water facilities and water tracking via voucher system for 3 months where necessary.

Community-based water management (CBWM) is a water management approach that engages local communities in the planning, development, and management of water resources. CBWM is based on the principle that local communities have the best knowledge of their water resources and are best placed to manage them effectively. The community-based management of water supply is important intervention to increase access, equity and improve the sustainability of water supply facilities in remote and crises settings. CBWM is a valuable approach to water management that can help to improve water security, water quality, efficiency, and sustainability. It is an approach that is increasingly being adopted by communities across Somalia/Land.

As part of Save the Children’s exit strategy to ensure sustainability of the infrastructure supported by SCI, Public Private Partnership Public Private Partnership have been rollout by SCI in Mogadishu, Baidabo and Mataban where it has been used to improve water management in Somalia. Public private partnership is an arrangement between government (the public sector), both local and central, and other organizations (e.g., private sector) for the purpose of providing public infrastructure, community facilities and related services. These partnerships have helped to increase access to water, improve water quality, and make water management more sustainable.  PPPs can help to address these challenges by bringing together the resources and expertise of the public and private sectors. The private sector can provide capital, technology, and management skills, while the public sector can provide land, regulatory oversight, and political support.

The study aims to investigate the various governance approach of water supply system under including private-public partnership, and community-based management with the focus on structure, composition, and decision-making process in selected study sites (urban, and rural) and investigate sustainability regarding technical, financial and institutions factors that facilitate and impede the sustainability of water facilities under private-public partnership, and community-based management.

2.      Objective:

How is the overall governance structure of community-based WASH committees and public private partnership on contributing or facilitate the sustainability of the interventions in the long-term?

2.1 Specific Objectives:

Objective 1: Understanding the overall governance structure and decisionmaking processes behind the efforts of the Public Private Partnership, and Community based water management committees.

Objective 2: Investigating the sustainability in terms of technical and financial efforts and institutions that facilitate and impede the sustainability of water facilities under community-based management and public private partnership for water management.

Objective 3: Determinant factors on the sustainability of water facilities under community-based management and public private partnership approaches

3.      Methodology

The lead consultant will develop a mixed methods methodology and tools in line with the SoW and other relevant documents provided by SC Somalia. These will be approved by the REALM and WASH technical specialist. The consultant is expected to come up with details of the methodology for conducting the study. But the following issues should be given due consideration in designing the methodologies.

The study will employ mixed method approach, where cross sectional household survey with representative sample will be complemented with data collected through key informant interviews for member of water management committee and focus group discussions with residents of the selected districts and villages.

Primary sources will be used to generate data and information. The project baseline report, annual reports, monitoring reports, work plans, project proposals, review meeting minutes, etc. are some of the documents that should be reviewed as part of the initial phase. The consultant is required to propose sample size and sampling strategy that are appropriate to successfully carried out for the study.

4.      Target location

The assessment will cover Puntland, Somaliland, and South-central states. The ANNEX  1 below provides the specific sites in Puntland, Somaliland and Southern States that SCI have rehabilitated and drilled well, type  and the current status of water management in place (community committee or private public partnership) over the past the five years.   Based on this information, the consultant is required to propose the required sample size for survey, KII and FGDs and sampling procedure and strategy that are appropriate to conduct this assignment.

5.      Deliverables

The Consultant or team is expected to write an inception report following review of literature and reference documents using the guidance format provided by SC Somalia. As a minimum, the research process will include the following key steps: 1. Review of relevant literature related to the project (c.f. list of reference materials) and drafting an inception report. 2. Application of appropriate data collection tools (e.g., questionnaire, checklist etc) for Key Informant Interviews with SC Staff, the local NGO partner, and community leaders, focus group discussions, and a representative survey. 3. Data analysis and writing of the Research Reports; and 4. Presentation of key findings of the study and executive summary of the research.

 

Time Frame

The assignment will be 60 days inclusive of travels.

Terms and Conditions

Consultancy fee: The consultant will come up with his/her own rate which will be subject to negotiation within the bounds of set standards of SC in Somalia the consultant is expected to estimate all relevant costs for the exercise, including costs for data collectors, vehicle rent, venue, stationary, and accommodation while undertaking activities related to this assignment.

Code of conduct

Save the Children’s work is based on deeply held values and principles of child safeguarding, and it is essential that our commitment to children’s rights and humanitarian principles is supported and demonstrated by all members of staff and other people working for and with Save the Children. Save the Children’s Code of Conduct sets out the standards to which all staff members must adhere and the consultant is bound to sign and abide by the Save the Children’s Code of Conduct.

A contract will be signed by the consultant before the commencement of the action. The contract will detail terms and conditions of service, aspects of inputs, and deliverables. The Consultant will be expected to treat as private and confidential any information disclosed to her/him or with which she/he may come into contact during her/his service.  The Consultant will not, therefore, disclose the same or any particulars thereof to any third party or publish it in any paper without the prior written consent of Save the Children. Any sensitive information (particularly concerning individual children) should be treated as confidential.

An agreement with a consultant will be rendered void if Save the Children discovers any corrupt activities have taken place either during the sourcing, preparation, and implementation of the consultancy agreement.

Ethics And Child Safeguarding

The consultant is obliged to conduct the research in an ethical manner making sure children are safe at all times. The consultant should seek the views of various stakeholders, including children. Efforts should be made to make the research process child-centered and sensitive to gender and inclusion.  The consultant must respect the rights and dignity of participants as well as comply with relevant ethical standards and SC’s Child Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct. The research must ensure voluntary, safe, and non-discriminatory participation and a process of free and un-coerced consent. Informed consent of each person (including children) participating in data collection should be documented.

A contract will be signed by the consultant before the commencement of the action. The contract will detail terms and conditions of service, aspects of inputs, and deliverables.

Property right:

All data that will be collected should be considered as SCI properties and can’t be used o

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