USAID
EFFECTIVE WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE SERVICES (E-WASH) PROGRAM
CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI)
USAID EFFECTIVE WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE SERVICES (E-WASH PROGRAM) “WASH INNOVATION GRANT”
PROGRAM BACKGROUND
As part of the United States Government (USG) efforts to address gaps in urban water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in Nigeria, USAID/Nigeria aims to improve urban water service delivery by strengthening the governance, financial and technical viability of six (6) State Water Boards (SWBS) in Abia, Delta, Imo, Niger, Sokoto, and Taraba States (I-STAND). E-WASH will work towards achieving the following mutually reinforcing objectives:
i. Creating professionally managed and commercially oriented SWBs.
ii. Improving the financial and operational viability of SWBs.
iii. Strengthening policy, institutional and regulatory frameworks for improved WASH services; and
iv. Building national and state WASH advocacy, coordination, and communications for reform.
These efforts align with the USAID Water and Development Strategy 2013/2018 Strategic Objective 1: Improve health outcomes through the provision of sustainable WASH, They also align with the USAID/Nigeria Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) Development Objective 3, Strengthened good governance; Intermediate Result (IR) 3.2, Improved responsiveness of selected government Institutions, and IR 3.3, Increased capacity for civic advocacy, monitoring and engagement and Component 4: Build Coordination, Advocacy, and Strategic Communications to Promote Reform.
The E-WASH Program is part of USAID’s wider efforts to build closer coordination with the Government of Nigeria (GON), including the Federal Ministry of Water Resources (FMWR), select SWBs of Abia, Delta, Imo, Niger, Sokoto, and Taraba allied stakeholders to advance broad-based economic growth and resilience through improved WASH services in urban areas.
E-WASH THEORY OF CHANGE:
Increased access to sustainable WASH services will only be achieved in urban areas within Nigeria when SWBs undergo a reorganization process to develop professional and commercially oriented practices that enable them to operate efficiently as commercial entities. They must have autonomous, accountable, and transparent management and strengthened corporate governance with clear priorities for effective and inclusive service provision. Well-functioning SWBs must have performance-based contracts, good monitoring capabilities, trained personnel, cost recovery, a proper tariff structure, and asset maintenance management systems. Creating good corporate governance in SWBs is essential to increase access to sustainable water services.
E-WASH targets urban WASH challenges, especially at the water board or utility level, building from five key assumptions:
• The state governments that own the water boards will be committed to reform efforts
• Governance improvements in the water boards will be strengthened by
state governments’ motivation and willingness to entrench corporate
structure in the water boards.
• The state governments are committed
to adjust tariffs in terms of cost recovery and affordability,
broad-based stakeholder engagement, effective civil society engagement
and accountability mechanisms are necessary to monitor and advocate for
reform.
• USAID can continue to work effectively with other
development partners, particularly impact; and the World Bank and
African Development Bank, to achieve meaningful scale and
• USAID’s efforts will catalyze governance improvements within the SWBs.
THE PROJECT IS SEEKING TO ENGAGE;
1. large youth-led and women-led organizations,
2. business development service providers and non-governmental organizations, and
3. Tertiary institutions for the purpose of improving urban WASH governance and operations. The WASH program requests Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from relevant organizations suggesting innovative solutions around State Water Utilities operations, Urban Water Sanitation and Hygiene Service Delivery.
MINIMUM ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
• Applicants must meet the following minimum eligibility requirements to qualify for funding under this RFA.
• Be legally registered as a non us non-governmental organization or for-profit private entity and having capacity to operate in Nigeria.
• Have a physical office in Nigeria.
• Have a proven track record of successful implementation of WASH related capacity building interventions in Nigeria.
• Preferred to have been active for at least 3 years’ operating within their sector and respective state.
• Have three (3) or more full time or part time staff.
• Be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the project, not acting as an intermediary consultant.
• Be willing to comply with all technical and financial requirements for participation in the program, including reporting and documentation of project activities, communication strategy and capacity development opportunities.
• Be willing to participate in assessments, trainings, workshops, or other activities considered important for achieving project goals and strengthening organizational capacity.
• Be eligible to receive funded awards from the United States government.
Organizations that do not meet the criteria above will not be considered.
Applicants may only submit one Concept Note per organization.
SUBMITTING THE CONCEPT PAPER:
Interested applicants should get electronic copy of the full request for expression of Interest (REO-001) from https://www.rti.org/current-opportunities or contact Michael Adegbe at madegbe@ewash.rti.org.
The deadline for submission of concept is on or before 11:59 pm January 8, 2020.
