1. Project Background

This project aims at improving sustained, equitable access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene practices in two zones; Fafan and Sitti in the Somali region, Ethiopia. Accessing WASH facilities remain a protection issue in IDP site settlements and host communities, which places certain people at a higher risk of violence, in particular women, children, elderly, and people with special needs. Voluntary water management committees (WMCs) or Water, Sanitation and Hygiene committees (WASHCOs) have traditionally managed rural water supply systems in Somali region and many other parts of the world. While the model is idea given the low purchasing power of the communities, it has proved to be unsustainable in the end with cases of mismanagement, misappropriation of funds, lack of accountability and transparency among others. This has led to cyclic subsidies from the government or Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and long periods of service disruptions due to breakdowns. This project aims at establishing the root causes of the failures of the WASHCOs and support in their transformation to sustainable water utilities.

Following a comprehensive review process of functionality and effectiveness of operation and maintenance of already existing complex rural multi village water systems in selected regions. The Ministry of Water Irrigation and Electricity (MoWIE) opted to include ‘public water utilities’ as an additional service delivery model in line with GTPII  adding to already existing models of ‘self-supply’, ‘NGO managed’, ‘Woreda managed’ and ‘WASHCO’ outlined in Ethiopians National WASH Implementation Framework. This approach yet to be rolled out in the country, making this project a pioneer.

1. Objectives

The main objective of this task is understand the existing operating environment for the selected water supply systems, undertake a financial analysis, establish the communities’ willingness and ability to pay then develop a sound business proposal to make the systems financially viable.

• Consultants can pick-up in person the TOR documents from Logistics Department from Monday to Friday 08:30 to 16:00 at the following locations: Addis Ababa Country Office – 3rd Floor, Isaac Tower, Airport Road, Bole Japan, Addis Ababa: or NRC website https://www.nrc.no/procurement/

   

  Deadline for submission of quotations is 30 June 2021 before 16:30