Invitation to tender: Improving Accountability in Viet Nam through Review of Rural Water Supply Institutional Arrangements and Digital Transformation
Deadline 17th November 2025
IVL is looking for a team of national consultants with experience in Rural WASH, institutional frameworks and governance; and digital transformation, data management and monitoring.
Context
In 2025, Viet Nam reduced the number of provincial units from 63 to 34 and restructured local government into a two-tier system. Recognising the implications of this decentralisation for governance and service delivery, UNICEF developed a Terms of Reference (ToR) for a national review of rural water supply institutional arrangements and digital transformation. The ToR was prepared in response to a formal request from the Department of Hydraulic Works Construction and Management (DWCM) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE) and seeks to provide the Government with recommendations for rural water supply management and digitalisation in the new decentralised context.
The objectives of the UNICEF ToR are to assess institutional arrangements, data management systems, and digital transformation opportunities in Viet Nam’s rural clean water sector, with the goal of producing actionable recommendations that improve governance, service delivery, and alignment with the Government’s administration reform, national digital transformation agenda, and commitment to SDG 6.
The UNICEF ToR outlines a comprehensive scope of work: to assess institutional frameworks and organisational structures, to evaluate data collection and management systems, and to provide actionable recommendations for strengthening governance, capacity, and efficiency. This includes a regulatory review, field consultations across representative provinces, and the development of a phased roadmap for digital transformation supported by national and provincial evidence.
Objective of assignment
The purpose of this consultancy is to support IVL and UNICEF in assessing institutional arrangements, data management systems, and digital transformation opportunities in Viet Nam’s rural clean water sector. The team of national consultants will provide technical, analytical, and logistical support throughout the assignment, including data collection, stakeholder engagement, translation, and validation. Their contributions will ensure that the analysis and recommendations are grounded in national and provincial realities, and that government ownership and participation are strengthened throughout the process.
Scope of Works
The consultancy will contribute to seven interlinked tasks aligned with the UNICEF Viet Nam ToR. The indicative scope of work and responsibilities of the national consultant team are summarised below. The scope of work includes, but is not limited to:
- Supporting coordination with UNICEF and government counterparts during project inception and contributing to the joint Inception Report, including methodology, sequencing, risk management, and division of responsibilities.
- Collecting and reviewing relevant laws, regulations, and policy documents governing rural clean water management, and assisting in analysing institutional accountability and governance structures using the WASH Accountability Framework.
- Supporting the design, translation, and administration of an online national survey on accountability and data management, including coordination with provincial focal points, follow-up communication to maximise response rates, and initial data cleaning and validation.
- Organising and conducting field consultations with key sector stakeholders to gather complementary qualitative data on institutional arrangements, accountability relationships, and data management practices.
- Participating in the review of international best practices, summarising relevant lessons from other countries, and supporting the identification of approaches applicable to Viet Nam’s decentralised rural water context.
- Conducting field visits in three representative provinces to collect evidence on governance and data management practices, including interviews and focus group discussions with provincial authorities, service providers, and communities.
- Preparing concise field visit summaries highlighting key findings, good practices, and capacity gaps, and contributing to the synthesis of results for the national analysis.
- Supporting the organisation and facilitation of a national workshop to present preliminary findings and develop a roadmap for strengthening accountability and data management systems.
- Assisting in the preparation of workshop materials, documentation of discussions, and drafting of the workshop report in Vietnamese and English.
- Contributing to the drafting of the final report and technical guidelines, including validation of findings, formulation of recommendations, and translation or editing of relevant sections.
- Assisting with the preparation and delivery of the validation and launch workshop, including participant coordination, logistics, and stakeholder engagement.
- Supporting overall communication, coordination, and documentation throughout the project, ensuring the effective integration of field, survey, and desk review findings into the final outputs.
Terms of reference available: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uNZaG_5BchH6kprE_3-ORGUOfxvTetHU/view?usp=sharing
