Expertise: Customer information and billing systems; utility business processes; change management
Expertise Group: Information Systems
Consultant Source: International
TOR Keywords: Customer information and billing systems; utility business processes; change management
Objective and Purpose of the Assignment
Project background. The Samoa Water Authority (SWA), in close collaboration with the Ministry of Natural
Resources and Environment (MNRE) and with the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has initiated
the preparation of the proposed Water Security Improvement Project (WSIP). The proposed project will
enhance water security in Samoa, aligned with the Pathway for the Development of Samoa for FY2026/27 to
FY2030/31 (PDS2), the country’s national development strategy.1
The outcome will be reliable, climate-resilient, and sustainable water supply services in the project
areas of Upolu and Savai‘i enhanced. It will be achieved through three outputs, as follows: (i)
resilient water supply infrastructure upgraded and expanded; (ii) utility operations digitalized and
performance improved; and (iii) institutional capacity for operations management and emergency
preparedness strengthened.
The proposed project is the initial phase (Phase 1) of the priority investments identified under the
Samoa Water Supply and Investment Master Plan 2025–2035 (the Master Plan 2035).2 Additional financing
will be considered during implementation to support further priority investments identified under the
Master Plan 2035, including improvements to sanitation, fecal sludge management, and wastewater
management. The project is designed to complement and maximize the benefits of ADB’s ongoing investments
in Samoa,3 in particular the Alaoa Multipurpose Dam Project4 and the Vaisigano River Integrated Flood
Management Project.5
The Ministry of Finance (MOF) will be the executing agency, and SWA the implementing agency. MNRE may
also act as an implementing agency, to be confirmed during project preparation. A dedicated project
management unit (PMU) will be established within SWA and supported by project implementation support
consultants. The project is still under preparation, with loan approval by the ADB Board expected in
September 2027 and implementation expected to commence in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2027.
As part of project preparation, ADB will recruit individual consultants to undertake the technical
assessments and due diligence required for loan processing. A national engineering and design firm will
also be engaged to prepare detailed engineering designs (DEDs) and bidding documents for selected
priority investments. Refer to Appendix 1 for further detail on the proposed subprojects to be prepared
during the preparation phase, up to bidding document stage.
Purpose of the Assignment. ADB now seeks to engage a Utility Commercial System / Business Process
Specialist (the consultant) to support SWA and ADB in the preparation of the proposed project. The
consultant will be responsible for (i) documenting the functionality, interfaces, workflows, and data of
the legacy customer information system (CIS); (ii) confirming the business and functional requirements
of its replacement, including data migration, hosting, security, support, and business continuity; (iii)
preparing the technical specifications and technical sections of the bidding documents for the package;
and (iv) mapping the current business processes and defining the future-state processes, roles, and
change management arrangements that the new system requires.
Scope of Work
The consultant will conduct the tasks listed under “Detailed Tasks and/or Expected Output”. S/he will be
engaged as an individual consultant and will work as part of a multidisciplinary team of consultants
recruited by ADB to conduct due diligence and prepare loan processing documentation. The assignment will
comprise 44 working days (intermittent) from 1 December 2026 to 31 July 2027, with mobilization expected
immediately upon contract signing. The consultant will report to the ADB project team leader for
contractual matters and to ADB’s focal point on deliverable-related matters, working in close
coordination with SWA, the other project consultants, and the national engineering and design firm.
The draft deliverables should be available before the fact-finding mission, tentatively scheduled for 7–
11 June 2027, and the final deliverables should be completed before loan negotiations, tentatively
scheduled for 16–20 August 2027.
Detailed Tasks and/or Expected Output
Customer information system
Document the functionality, interfaces, workflows, and data structures of the existing Daffron CIS, and
identify what is to be retained, replaced, or improved.
Confirm the future CIS requirements, covering functionality, interfaces, data migration, hosting,
security, user access, support, training, and business continuity, with the revenue-side inputs
(billing, collection, and revenue assurance) of the Economist / Financial Management Specialist, and
prepare the business and functional requirements and the procurement scope.
Support the market sounding and prepare the technical specifications, schedule of requirements and
prices, cost estimate, and technical sections of the bidding documents for commercial systems Package 1,
with the international Procurement Specialist; the national engineering and design firm cross-checks the
cost estimate against local conditions.
Business processes and change management
Map the current business processes, identifying duplication, manual hand-offs, accountability gaps, and
digitization opportunities, and define the future-state processes, roles, and priority standard
operating procedures.
Develop the change management approach coordinated with the implementation of the CIS, and prepare the
terms of reference and cost estimate of the business process and organizational improvement support
under Output 3.
Provide the business-side inputs on systems ownership, process alignment, and the staffing of the SCADA
and customer service functions to the ICT governance framework and the enterprise architecture prepared
by the ICT Architecture and Governance Specialist.
Processing support and coordination
Provide the inputs of the discipline required for the report and recommendation of the President (RRP)
and its linked documents, the project administration manual (PAM), the design and monitoring framework
(DMF), and the cost estimates.
Support preparation of relevant sections of the terms of reference of the Project Design and
Implementation Support Consultant (PDISC) covering the discipline, including scope, deliverables, and
expert inputs required during implementation.
Participate in ADB missions, stakeholder workshops, and consultations as required, coordinate inputs
with the other individual consultants and the national engineering and design firm, and perform other
relevant tasks necessary for the successful processing of the proposed project.
Deliver, as required, short training sessions for the PMU and other concerned stakeholders on specific,
technical, or new aspects of the discipline; most of the training will take place during project
implementation.
Minimum Qualification Requirements
The consultant should hold at least a bachelor’s degree in business administration, information systems,
or a related discipline. The consultant must have at least 12 years of general experience in utility
commercial operations or business process improvement, including at least 8 years of specific experience
in customer information and billing systems for water or other utilities, including requirements
definition, data migration, and change management. Experience in small island developing states or the
Pacific region is preferred. The consultant must have excellent report writing skills in English.
Minimum General Experience: 12 Years
Minimum Specific Experience (relevant to assignment): 8 Years
