Water and Sanitation Training Specialist

The Pacific Region Infrastructure Facility (PRIF) is a multi-partner coordination and technical assistance facility for improved infrastructure in the Pacific. The PRIF development partners are the

Asian Development Bank (ADB), Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), European Investment Bank (EIB), European Union (EU), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), New

Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (NZMFAT), United States Department of State (US) and the World Bank Group.

The PRIF Coordination Office (PRIF CO) is hosted by the ADB Pacific Liaison Coordination Office (PLCO) in Sydney, Australia.  It will be responsible for managing this technical assistance study and follows procurement procedures and financial management in accordance with ADB practices.

Objective of the Scoping Study

The scoping study intends to explore how a regional approach for training in water supply and sanitation could be applied in the Pacific through partnership among key stakeholders. The TA will

•   Validate the needs and benefits of a regional approach by assessing the relative benefits of a regional approach vs other approaches (e.g. at national level);

•   Recommend feasible models and options (institutional governance, management, administration, business model, certification, etc.);

•   Prioritize areas of support needed to guide future capacity building assistance of donors and development partners; and

•   Provide an implementation and funding framework that would support a regional approach to training.

A broad consensus on the results and recommendations of this scoping study could provide the basis to initiate support by development agencies and stakeholders to a regional program.

Background

Data from the 2017 World Health Organisation (WHO) Joint Monitoring Program shows that only half of the Pacific region’s population has access to improved drinking water sources and one-third uses improved

sanitation. This highlights the challenges the region is facing to reach its Sustainable Development Goals on providing access to clean water and sanitation (SDG 6) by 2030.

As the World Bank is tripling its investments in the region, the ADB is doubling theirs, and Australia similarly announced significant new funds for infrastructure development, it is expected that

investments in the water sector in the Pacific will increase substantially, mainly through the utilities and in serviced urban areas. There is also a significant investment needed in water and sanitation delivery and capacity building.

However, based on Pacific Water and Water Association (PWWA) informative performance benchmarking surveys and various studies, the fragmentation of interventions in the water sector, weak regulatory

environment and insufficient institutional capacity, represent huge challenges to the delivery of water services. In this environment, the effectiveness of capacity-building efforts and the sustainability of

technical training initiatives, in terms of career development and in aligning with utilities’ needs, is difficult to achieve.

Regional stakeholders, including donors, government and utilities have long considered that  (i) significant capacity needs exist for water management (including water and sanitation); and (ii) a

regional approach to capacity building is a high priority, (e.g. Pacific Regional Action Plan on  Sustainable Water Management, 2003).

In response to this recognised need, The International Water Centre (IWC), UNICEF (Pacific), the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the University of the South Pacific (USP), together with

development partners, have developed the concept for a Pacific Water Centre (PWC). The PWC would create

and manage a partnership of existing Pacific-based education, training and research institutes to

collectively  design and deliver capacity development activities within the Pacific, in order to improve

local capacity for water management and improved water and WASH outcomes for Pacific islanders. The

capacity of existing Pacific-based education, training and research institutes to deliver effective

capacity building activities will be supported through course development, training of

trainers/educators, mentors and quality assurance activities led by the PWC. To further progress the

PWC, the IWC and USP have signed an MOU indicating a commitment to a PWC, and with stakeholders have

developed some aspects of a possible model for a PWC.

To further investigate how to consolidate efforts and provide more effective and efficient assistance to

the region, the PRIF Water & Sanitation Sector Working Group (SWG) suggested investigating further the

rationale, a possible model for developing a regional training approach and options for governance and

operations. PRIF’s recent assistance for scoping the potential for a Pacific training program in the

energy sector will also be informative, as well as ADB’s ongoing assistance in improving governance and

management practices in Pacific energy and water utilities – especially that a number of those utilities

have dual energy / water functions.

Scope of Work

The TA involves three phases and the consultant will undertake the following:

Phase 1 – Reviewing proposed models/ideas for regional water capacity development (through desktop

review of documents and remote interviews with key stakeholders)

Objective: To identify and document a harmonized description of a regional water capacity development

approach/centre

1.  Conduct desk research and discussions with PRIF members, stakeholders, water resources departments

of governments, relevant government agencies, water-related CSOs and water utilities in the Pacific

island countries (PICs) and collection of preliminary information about water sector needs, and what a

regional water capacity development approach would look like, including the proposed concept for a

Pacific Water Centre;

2.  Review previous capacity needs assessments conducted to inform the scope of the required capacity

development programs, including:

    a.  IWC assessment of PWWA members, utilities (for PWWA)

    b.  IWC assessment of WASH capacity Vanuatu government (for UNICEF)

    c.  Pacific Regional Action Plan on Sustainable Water Management, 2003 and related documents

    d.  WASH in CSOs

    e.  SPC resources and insights on capacity building on water resource management in many PICs

3.  Include also an assessment of the relative benefits of the proposed regional approach vs other

approaches (e.g. at national level), and consider opportunity cost (e.g. of limited funding)

4.  Update as necessary the rapid audit of existing water sector training and education opportunities,

included in the PWWA assessment completed by IWC;

5.  Review available literature on communities engagement;

6.  Investigate how regional training programs can be funded, including lessons and models from other

regions or other sectors.

Once travel restrictions have eased, conduct in-country missions to Fiji, where most donors and

development partners have representation offices, and 2-3 other PICs to be identified by the

implementation committee which demonstrate either best training practices and/or extreme need for

capacity building.

Phase 2 –Validating the case for developing a regional training program 

7.   Confirm scope or market scale for water-related training needs in PICs, which would benefit from

delivery through a regional approach and the required frequency of delivery for:

    a.  operational, technical and managerial training needs, including certification, collaboration with

TVET programs, e.g. targeting technical, administration and managerial staff in all levels

    b.  high-level and strategic, governance and executive training needs, e.g. targeting utility board

members and senior government executives 

    c.  upstream linkages to enhance science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, e.

g. reaching out to curriculum developers in elementary and secondary school levels

    d.  community awareness raising and coaching to enhance community development

8.   Identify options for training delivery, including but not limited to: (i) centralized approach,

(ii) in-country trainings, (iii) collaboration with existing educational facilities such as USP or

others, (iv) digital platform for remote learning, (v) mentoring arrangements and (vi) hybrids of

options previously mentioned. For these identified options, assess the practicalities and requirements

for utilizing these delivery models for water sector trainings in the Pacific, including describing

examples of these being used effectively in similar sectors.

9.   Propose qualifications and accreditation process of training providers.

10. Propose a digital platform for informing communities of practitioners of workplace opportunities and

of available pools of specialists.

Phase 3 – Developing an implementation model

11.   Conduct an assessment of options for implementing a regional training program in water management,

water supply and sanitation, taking into consideration a staged development and using existing

facilities and training initiatives such as proposed already for the PWC. Make recommendations to

improve this model, identify challenges with this model, and if necessary propose alternative models.

Advise on the need for further diagnostics and studies at inception and at later stages.

12.   Propose a governance, management and ownership model, core functions of a PWC (e.g. coordination,

information sharing, etc.), as well as financing, and operation options (e.g. for-profit or not-for-

profit, or multi-utility ownership), required capital and operational costs, regional priorities (where

needs are highest), opportunities to commence PWC activities where strengths and interest exists, and

other aspects of a sustainable model to support the recommended approach in a first stage of operations.

13.   Consult with PRIF members and other development partners about availability and timing of grant

funding and other possible sources of funds to support the recommended approach.

14.   Include a roadmap for next steps, if this is to be considered for downstream development partner

support (e.g. due diligence, discussions with government counterparts on priorities, etc.)

15.   Prepare a Final Report recommending options to move forward with a regional approach or the first

stage of a program, including a road map of activities for stakeholders and development partners and an

indicative implementation framework (institutional governance, management, administration, business

model, certification, etc.).

Depending on the outcome of this scoping study, further investigations could be commissioned to develop

operational details, training curriculum and other pertinent components of a regional training program.

Deliverables/Outputs

1.   Inception report – to include work plan, methodology, schedule of activities, comments on scope of

work, remote country consultation and/or country missions schedule and recommendations for adjustments

if needed. The Inception Report will be no longer than 15 pages.

2.   Draft and Final reports “A Regional Approach to Water and Sanitation Training in the Pacific – A

Scoping Study  covering the findings and recommendations of the scoping study. The text of the report is

expected to be preceded by an executive summary not exceeding 5 pages. 

     •  Powerpoint presentation for PRIF Water and Sanitation Sector Working Group (W&S SWG)

3.   Meeting notes from all meetings along with contact details of persons consulted.

4.   Presentation to a regional forum, e.g. PWWA event, other (TBC)

5.   Final report revised after PRIF W&S SWG comments.

6.   Project completion report – to include summary of project activities, issues, challenges and

lessons learned and recommendations for follow-up initiatives.

Implementation Arrangement

Duration and timeframe: 100 person-days, intermittent, from June 2020 to November 2020.

Reporting: the assignment will be led by the PRIF Coordination Office (PRIF CO). The consultant will

report to the assigned PRIF CO Project Manager.

Travel: Country missions in 3-4 PICs, to be identified by PWWA and SPC, of one-week duration per

country. PRIF CO may change duration of country missions, as needed (to be carried out once travel is

allowed again post-COVID19 pandemic).

The Consultant will have the following qualifications and experience:

•  experience in developing business models for training centers and/or training programs targeting

participants from private sector and government agencies, especially in the form of multi-institutional

partnerships for training delivery

•  familiar with curriculum modules for water-related trainings

•  a minimum of ten years demonstrated experience in capacity building (training and/or education), in

developing countries and preferably in the Pacific

•  experience in multi-stakeholder work environments and consultation processes

•  experience producing reports containing data and data analysis, and

•  experience reporting to international development agencies is desirable.