Job Description

Posted on February 26, 2022

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY ZAMBIA
CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
CONSULTANCY TO CONDUCT A FEASIBILITY STUDY ON COMMUNITY DRIVEN MODELS FOR WASH IMPROVEMENT IN MAKULULU, KABWE.
TERMS OF REFERENCE
Background
Habitat for Humanity Zambia is planning to implement a WASH project in Makululu community of Kabwe district between 1 October 2022 and 31 December 2025. A proposal for this project will be submitted to the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of the Federal Republic of Germany (BMZ) in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity Germany (HFHD). In order to ensure a relevant, effective, efficient, coherent, sustainable, and impactful project, the Principal will commission a feasibility study. These Terms of Reference (TOR) explain the purpose of the study, required qualifications, experience, and references for the consultant, and the deliverables.
Purpose:

Provide a sound, empirically verified basis for the project, identify and verify material assumptions and prerequisites for project success, identify risks and risk mitigation strategies
Examine and verify project concept, identify weaknesses and provide recommendations for optimisation
Present project context on community-, district, regional-, and national level, including relevant baseline data
Assess expected merit and worth of project based on OECD DAC Evaluation Criteria
Provide specific recommendations for the impact matrix and project activities
The feasibility study will be used to optimise the project concept, improve quality, and maximise impact and sustainability

Deliverables:

Inception report, including methodology with proposed data collection instruments
Presentation of preliminary results in preliminary report format and PPT, to be delivered after data collection is closed
Discussion of preliminary report with Principal and HFHD to discuss any necessary adjustments
Report with annexes (see table of contents below)
Closing presentation (PPT and study to be shared in advance and then discussed in a meeting)
Final versions of report and PPT including adjustments as discussed in closing presentation

Expected workload and timeline:

Principal estimates that the consultancy can be delivered in 30 total workdays (including all workdays of all team members)
The consultancy is expected to be delivered between February 7th and March 11th 2022

Methodology:

Review relevant internal and external documents and conduct desk research to identify relevant data, strategies, regulations, policies, and other relevant information
Collect necessary primary data, while ensuring appropriate protection standards are being applied (surveys, key-informant interviews, focus group discussions, engineering surveys, collection of geo-data, etc.)
Establish baseline data, examine intervention logic, goals, objectives, targets, and indicators, planned activities, sustainability strategy, risks and assumptions, and financial projections
Form an opinion on feasibility of project and quality of concept, explain strengths and weaknesses, and make recommendations for improvement and optimisation

Consultant profile:

Independence from Principal and HFHD, also certified by a statement from the consultant; any former or planned and already known business relationship, or any familial relations to the third degree (including aunts, uncles, and cousins) between the consultant or the consulting team and the principal´s or HFHD´s employees or officers must be stated and communicated to BMZ by HFHD before a contract for these services is awarded.
The consultancy shall be delivered by an expert team holding the following academic qualifications:

MA/MSc or higher in social science or public health or a related field, with relevant experience (WASH or public health)
MSc or higher in Hydrogeology/Water engineering or a related field

The lead consultant shall have a minimum of 10 years’ experience of conducting feasibility studies on, evaluating or implementing projects in WASH in Zambia as well as at least three references for relevant consulting assignments for reputable NGOs, public agencies, or donors which have been delivered to the satisfaction of the respective principals. (Consultants will be required to share contact details for references; consultants should indicate whether previous work used as a reference can be reviewed by Principal and HFHD; preference will be given to bidders who can present previous work for review.)
At least one member of the consultancy team shall have a minimum of 3 years´ experience of assessing projects based on the OECD DAC evaluation criteria.

List of internal documents for consultant´s review:

Project Concept/Project Plan (including situation analysis, impact matrix, activities)
Draft project budget.
HFHZ other WASH project documents.

Relevant documents identified by Principal for Desk Research by Consultant:

Government WASH policy related documents such as the strategic plan; water and sanitation policy.
City- (Kabwe) and province (Central Province) level development-, WASH- and other relevant strategies, policies, and other documents
7th and 8th National Development Plans.
SNV Kabwe WASH project evaluation reports.
Lukanga Water and Sanitation Company current Strategic Plan

Specific Questions:
The consultant will have to conduct an overall review of the project concept. As part of this assignment, consultant will be required to address the following issues in particular:

Fitness of Principal to deliver the project: does the Principal have the required competences and capacities to deliver the project or are there sufficient plans in place to ensure required competences and capacities will be in place by project start?
Do the key stakeholders for investment activities (Lukanga Water and Sanitation Company-LWSC, primary schools) fulfil the following criteria:

Not-for profit entities (project outputs must not benefit for-profit entities!)
Can guarantee appropriate and sustainable long-term operation of infrastructure created in the project, in line with the project´s goals and objectives
Can guarantee inclusive, non-discriminatory, equitable, and affordable access to project outputs and outcomes in the long run, in line with the project´s goals and objectives
Can guarantee that any infrastructure created in the project will be built on publicly owned land and both the land and the infrastructure will remain in public, not-for-profit ownership in the long run
There are adequate provisions in place for the democratic control of the assets (explain what these are and make recommendations for feasible improvements, if any)

What measures will be necessary to ensure the fulfilment of the criteria in the above point?
What measures will be necessary to ensure the long-term sustainability of other outputs and outcomes (e.g. newly established or strengthened community structures, new skills and knowledge transferred in the project, behavioural change)?
Does the latrine type proposed in the project for households fulfil the following criteria:

Likely to be adopted by community members
Replicable in terms of technology, materials and cost
Reliable in terms of use and maintenance
Desludging and other maintenance feasible and affordable to households
Environmental impact favourable

Would the consultant recommend any preferable alternatives to the proposed latrine type and why?

Do the latrines proposed in the project for schools fulfil the following criteria:

Number of proposed latrines ensures meeting applicable standards for latrine: pupil-ratio
Design recommended by Ministry of Education.
Latrine types likely to be adopted by pupils
Sustainable operation and maintenance of latrines by schools is feasible

Would the consultant recommend any preferable alternatives to the proposed interventions and why?

Do the trainings, information- and communication campaigns, and skills- and knowledge-transfer activities planned in the project fulfil the following criteria:

Relevance for target population
Likelihood of adoption of promoted skills, knowledge, and practices by target population
Likelihood of persistence of behavioural change and measures necessary to ensure this

Would the consultant recommend any preferable alternatives to the proposed interventions and why?

Are the mechanisms proposed for empowering the target population to hold stakeholders (authorities, the LWSC, etc.) accountable: feasible and likely to persist long-term? What measures are necessary to ensure this?
Is the use of grant revenue and an NGO for the construction of the infrastructure proposed by the process necessary and justifiable, and what are the reasons for this, with special regard to the following:

Construction of kiosks (to be owned by the Lukanga Water and Sanitation Company) – why could these not be built by the water utility company, the Local Authority, or the government?
Construction of latrines at public schools – why could these not be built by the schools, the LWSC, Local Authority or the government?
Construction of latrines for households – why could these not be built by the households or the Local Authority?

Reliability of water supply in pipeline from LWSC water works:

Are there likely to be frequent disruptions to the availability of water?
What measures are necessary (if any) to ensure availability of water at kiosks during interruptions of service in the LWSC pipeline?
Could water tanks on kiosks be a viable option to prevent frequent inaccessibility of water? What measures are necessary to ensure water safety if tanks are used for water storage?

Any individuals or households receiving assets in the project will have to make repayment for the items. Repayment in kind (e.g. by working on project outcomes that benefit the whole community or that support project implementation) is acceptable. Partial repayment might be acceptable if full repayment is impossible due to justified circumstances. Formulate and quantify viable repayment options for the following assets, evaluating with reference to the socioeconomic background of beneficiaries and the living conditions in the target region:

Latrines built for households
Tools provided to masons trained in construction of latrines
Household water storage containers.
[Any other assets that will be transferred to individuals or households in the project]

What resources can and will the following stakeholders contribute to the project:

Target community
Local Authority
LWSC water works
Schools
Existing community structures and institutions
Any other potential stakeholders not hitherto identified

Table of Contents for consultant´s final report
1) Executive Summary
2) Purpose and Use of Feasibility Study
3) Methodology, including a discussion of any limitations around the data collection methodology and resulting findings to understand any shortcomings of the analysis and to better frame the quality of the data and findings for use by the project teams
4) Participation of target community and stakeholders in the development of the project, buy-in of target community and stakeholders
5) Initial situation and problem analysis on community-, city-, province-, and national level
(Which current problems of the target groups have been identified and are relevant in the project design? Which of the causes are prioritized and addressed in the project? Which local potentials, existing structures (institutions, networks, umbrella organizations and others) and social mechanisms can be built upon? Which gaps in the system have been identified? Are there approaches and results from previous development interventions? If so, how will they be built upon? What other framework conditions, for example conflict dynamics, must be taken into account in the context of the planned project?)
6) Findings
a. Fitness of Principal to implement the project
(Who initiated the project idea? To what extent are existing agreements between stakeholders formalized? Are there formal agreements between actors? What are the available resources and strengths of the partner known individually and at the organizational level? Which relevant technical, methodological and political competencies should be further developed individually and at the organizational level?)
b. Target groups and stakeholders / Stakeholder analysis
(How and by whom are the direct target groups selected based on which criteria? What is the composition of the respective target groups? How homogeneous or heterogeneous are the target groups with regard to factors such as gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, language, capacities, and to what extent must the project take this into account?  What self-help potentials and resources do the respective target groups have? How can local problem-solving capacities be strengthened?  What existing WASH resources in the region can be leveraged upon? Who are the potential stakeholders in government and civil society (especially besides those already identified) and what are their plans, resources, and capacities? Do the target groups and other actors have a common understanding of the problems, prioritization and objectives of the project? Are there convergences or conflicts of interest between other actors? How strong is the support, and what contributions are different actors willing to make to the project? What is their ability to influence the project?)
c. Evaluation of the planned project according to OECD DAC criteria
(How is the project likely to perform on the criteria of Relevance, Coherence, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Impact, and Sustainability – please use OECD DAC definitions and guiding questions)
7) Recommendations
(What concrete suggestions can be made or incorporated into the project concept in the specific context on the basis of the main findings and the evaluation according to the DAC criteria? E.g.: Which components, if any, are missing in the project concept in order to make the cause-effect relationships more coherent and to sustainably achieve the planned objectives? Which planned components are not suitable or may have negative effects, and for what reasons?        Which assumptions of the cause-effect relationships are viable? Which findings and project-relevant data from the study are suitable for inclusion in the project logic (impact matrix of the project application)? What are the recommendations for possible indicators for impact monitoring and data collection?)
8) Annexes
I. Stakeholder list with contact persons and contact information
II. List of surveys, interviews, and focus groups discussions conducted by consultant
III. Detailed survey results
IV. Summaries of interviews and focus group discussions
V. Map of project area with points of relevance marked
VI. Calculations for full-life-cycle costings of infrastructure, expected revenues and sustainability
VII. Questionnaires and other survey tools, interview- and focus group discussion guides
VIII. List of documents and other sources used
IX. Raw survey data, notes from interviews and focus groups
Reporting
The Consultant will report to Resource Development and Communications Manager with overall supervision of the National Director.
Expressions of Interest must demonstrate the following:

Credibility/track record of similar work/relevant experience
Understanding and interpretation of assignment/requirements
Quality assurance
Work plan
Proposed fees (including daily rate in ZMW).

Application Details
Address the applications to the National Director,
Habitat for Humanity Zambia,
5th turn off Munali Road, Chudleigh, Lusaka.
EMAIL ADDRESS: Send your applications to: Procur[email protected]
Deadline: The deadline for applications is 1st February 2022 at 17:00hrs.