WaterAid Zambia is an international Non-Governmental Organization dedicated to the provision of safe domestic water, sanitation, and hygiene education to the world’s poorest. WaterAid Zambia currently operates in Six (06) districts; Lusaka, Monze, Sesheke, Mwandi, and Nkeyema districts.
WaterAid Zambia is now inviting Expressions of Interest from eligible Consultants to undertake a Constituency Development Fund Utilisation assessment with a focus on the utilisation of CDF for water, sanitation, and hygiene in selected constituencies in Zambia (2 in Lusaka, 1 in Nkeyema and 1 in Monze).

Consultants are urged to acquire data from relevant sources to inform their EOI.

Expressions of interest application process and submission

Interested candidates (individual consultants or firms) are required to submit the following documentation:

• Cover letter detailing their suitability to undertake this assignment as per detailed Terms of Reference (TORs). The letter should be addressed to:

The People and Organizational Development
Water Aid Zambia
House No. 21A Middle Way, Kabulonga
Postnet No. 81 P/Bag E891
Lusaka, Zambia

• Technical and financial proposals with specific focus addressing the purpose and objectives of the assignment, methodology to be used, key selection criteria and draft data collection tools and interview guides.
• Initial work plan based on the methodology outlined.
• Company or individual profile or CV including a minimum of 3 references.
• Detailed budget breakdown.
• The CVs of key support staff (in the case of a firm)
• Full Technical and Financial Proposals together with all supporting documentation should be submitted to ZambiaCareers@wateraid.org and copy in EmilyChuunga@wateraid.org. The subject line of your email should read “Application – CDF Utilization Assessment.”
• The deadline for submission of both technical and financial proposals is Thursday 31st October 2024.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Short term consultancy to undertake an Assessment of the Utilisation of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in 3 districts in selected constituencies (2 in Lusaka, 1 in Nkeyema and 1 in Monze).

WaterAid is an international, not-for-profit organization established in Zambia in 1981. We work to change the lives of the poorest and most marginalized people by making clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. Since inception, WaterAid Zambia has reached over 3 million people. We currently operate in Lusaka, Monze, Kazungula, Mwandi, Sesheke and Nkeyema Districts.

1. BACKGROUND
Access to water and sanitation is one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) goals. Targets 6.1, and 6.2 collectively aim to ensure universal access to safe and affordable drinking water and achieve adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all by 2030. With only six years remaining before review of progress on achievement of the (Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)) in 2030, access to improved water and sanitation services remains one of the nation’s most pressing challenges. Basic statistics on WASH show that 72.3% of Zambians have access to clean drinking water, while 54% have access to adequate sanitation and 24,7% have access to hygiene. [1]
Considerable efforts by government and other stakeholders towards changing the status of the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector in Zambia have however been noted. These include the nation’s Vision 2030 and the 8NDP that both identify universal access to water and sanitation as a critical developmental goal. Others include the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA 2010) commitment.

Zambia’s development agenda outlined in the Vision 2030 and the 8th National Development Plan (2022-2026) aims to increase access to clean water to 100 percent and access to sanitation facilities to 90 percent. Evidently, Zambia will need additional resourcing to meet its Vision 2030 targets of equitable distribution of water and sanitation services in the country especially in the rural and peri-urban areas.

In 2021, Government allocations to the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) in the 2022 national budget substantially increased in a bid to provide additional resources for implementing community-driven projects. The allocation to CDF has since been growing steadily. From an allocation of K1.6m in 2021, this allocation now stands at K36.6 million per constituency. Over 50 percent of these funds is earmarked to support various community level projects including water, sanitation, and hygiene. The total allocation to CDF for all constituencies is now pegged at K5.6 billion in 2025.

The expanded CDF is targeted to contribute to bridging the gap of investment required to increase access to basic services. With the huge funding gaps that WASH faces, CDF is seen as a key opportunity to enhance WASH outcomes at the district level. Particularly, the CDF is envisaged to support WASH at community level and in public facilities such as schools and Health Care Facilities (HCFs). The government has therefore been categorical on the need to prioritize utilization of CDF to improve access to WASH. Additionally, in its Medium-Term Budget Plan, the government requires that each district prioritizes water, sanitation, and hygiene and every HCF establishes WASH inclusive maternity annexes.

WaterAid Zambia is thus seeking the services of a consultant or a firm to undertake a utilisation assessment of the Constituency Development Fund. The assessment will focus on assessing to what extent the CDF has been utilized for WASH as per government directive to increase prioritization of WASH under the Fund.

2. PURPOSE OF CONSULTANCY

The purpose of the consultancy is to

a) Detail the policy, institutional and regulatory frameworks for CDF in Zambia
b) Compare and graphically present annual CDF budget allocations for 2022-2023 and the first half of 2024, disbursements (both from Ministry of Finance and al national Planning and Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development) as well as Local Authorities’ expenditure.
c) Establish the profile of community proposals detailing the type of community projects requested by communities.
d) Detail the profile of successful applicants of CDF funds by type of projects.
e) Establish main expenditure categories of the CDF community projects and disaster management and mitigation components making clear spend by sector and project type. Specifically illustrate percentage allocation to WASH overall and particularly CDF expenditure on WASH in schools, WASH in HCFs and WASH in communities.
f) Detail the scope of WASH interventions undertaken under the CDF and tabulate the corresponding budgets and incurred costs of such interventions.
g) Detail any CDF funds that are used as a match fund on other WASH projects.
h) Analyse and comment on the enablers, challenges and gaps faced by Local Authorities, CDF Committees, Ward Development Committees, and communities in the implementation of the government directive on increased prioritisation of WASH under the CDF
i) Produce Case Studies on the lived experiences of communities (both positive and negative) in accessing WASH services under the CDF informed by community members insights into the challenges and successes experienced.
j) Formulate recommendations, (can include interventions and mechanisms) to enhance the utilisation of CDF for WASH

3. SCOPE OF WORK

Specific Tasks will include:

1. Review of National and district level budgets, expenditure reports and other relevant documentation to establish and illustrate key financing and expenditure lines, successes, and constraints in the utilisation of CDF.
2. Analysis of the financing, disbursement and expenditure chain of the CDF detailing key procedures and requirements.
3. Review 8NDP Annual Progress reports and other key documents to document WASH interventions under the CDF.
4. Comprehensively illustrate CDF expenditures on WASH.
5. Outline key bottlenecks/challenges in the utilization of CDF for WASH.
6. Outline key policy actions and stakeholder roles needed to ensure increased utilization of the CDF for WASH. Make clear recommendations on practical ways government pronouncement on the prioritisation of WASH under the CDF can be actualised.

This assessment will focus on analyzing how CDF has performed in keeping with the government directive for the increased prioritization of WASH under the CDF, understanding both the enablers and barriers of this performance, notable gaps as well as bottlenecks to be addressed. The report will also need to highlight the role of CDF in supporting the agenda of increased investments in WASH. The study will have to balance between desk review and primary data with a focus on Key Informant Interviews with selected critical CDFstakeholders such as the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), Ministry of Finance and National Planning (MOFNP), Ministry of Water development and Sanitation (MWDS), Members of Parliament, Local Authorities, CDF Committees, Ward Development Committees, and communities, to draw needed insights.

4. DELIVERABLES

1. Inception report
2. Utilisation assessment report on CDF on WASH.
3. A summary Policy Brief and an Infographic
4. A power point presentation on summary issues identified & recommendation for key stakeholders working to advance increased utilisation of CDF for WASH.

5. Ethics and risks

I. The consultant is expected to comply with WaterAid’s safeguarding standards, policies and procedures at all times. WaterAid undertakes safeguarding training for all external consultants, facilitators and research fellows that will be engaged in this study.
II. The consultant is to adhere to government regulations and WaterAid local security protocols.
III. The Consultant will work in liaison with Policy Team Lead to identify any needed approvals required to conduct this work, or to engage key informants, including how the consultant will obtain the ethical approval.
IV. The consultant will be bound by the General Data Protection Regulation upheld by WaterAid.

6. Outputs and timeline
The Consultant will undertake this consultancy in Lusaka over a period of approximately 25 days from 18th November to 20th December 2024 (working days). This contract will be between WaterAid Zambia, and the Consultant selected for this work. WaterAid will do this at a fixed fee determined by agreement based on the number of consultancy days proposed. In entering a contract with WaterAid Zambia, the Consultant must ensure that they complete the entire scope of work within the available resources.

Schedule
S/N Task Duration

1 Inception meeting (Inception Reports and safeguarding briefing) 2 days
2 Design of data collection and KII tools 2 days
4 Feedback and input to the existing tool 1 day
6 Consolidation of the study report 11 days
8 Review of submitted report 3 days
9 Incorporation of inputs 5 days
10 Submission of final report 1 day
Total days 25

7.0. Methodology and sampling
This is a mixed method study involving qualitative and quantitative approaches.
The consultant will in addition to earmarked primary interviews, search the following sources:

• Internet search, identifying any published and grey literature relating to WASH and CDF in Zambia
• Sector documents provided by WaterAid, and other sector partners including CDF study reports, CDF guidelines etc.
• Review official reports from the Zambian government, particularly from the MLGRD, MWDS, MOFNP, etc.
• Review reports and any other publications from organizations such as think tanks, research institutions, Local Government Association of Zambia etc. on WASH and CDF.

8.0. Stakeholders’ involvement
Key stakeholders’ involvement will comprise of WASH-focussed/related government ministries, Local agencies and commissions of the government, development partners and INGOs, Local Authorities community leaders and members, CSOs and service providers, the WASH Legislative Caucus, and any other resource parties deemed relevant.

9.0. Roles and responsibilities
The role of the consultant is:

• Conduct analysis and synthesis of various internal documentation.
• Ensure the analysis covers cross-cutting issues such as gender, equity, and social inclusion to address the specific needs and vulnerabilities of the affected population.
• Undertake identification and analysis of relevant external documents.
• Validate and triangulate the data obtained from the diverse sources, including interviews, documents among others to ensure accuracy and consistency of the information.
• Conduct interviews with WaterAid staff, government officials, INGOs, UN agencies, partners, CSOs and any other relevant stakeholders.
• Participate in follow up stakeholder engagements as need arises.
• Develop the earmarked research outputs.

The role of WaterAid is to:

• Lead on this study, making all strategic choices.
• Oversee and support the consultant in their work, providing clear direction and availing available WaterAid research documents on CDF.
• Agree with the consultant the methodology and tools for this work.
• Facilitate contact between the consultant and relevant WaterAid staff.
• Facilitate contact between the consultant and relevant government departments, partner organisations and other external stakeholders.
• Sign off on the consultant’s work.
• Provide overall quality assurance of the process.

10. Profile
WaterAid is looking for a lead consultant who meets the following requirements:

• Postgraduate qualifications in any of the following: Economics, Development Studies, Engineering, Social work, or any relevant discipline.
• At least 10 years of relevant leadership experience, including serving as team leader.
• Demonstrated training and senior- level experience in conducting qualitative and quantitative research.
• Demonstrated experience of conducting similar data analysis or work, including performance assessment, formative research, and assessment to inform policy decision-making and advocacy, and planning in the last five years.
• Experience in developing data collection and analysis tools and interpreting and simplifying research data.
• Knowledge and experience in using statistical packages for the analysis of data.
• Strong analytical skills of both quantitative and qualitative information.
• Knowledge of CDF and public finance in Zambia.
• Experience in undertaking desk review and collating key information or anything similar.
• Experience in conducting interviews with diverse types of Key Informants including government officials, CSOs, among others.
• Excellent and demonstratable communication, report writing and presentation skills, especially in English.
• Basic knowledge of WASH issues particularly financing for WASH
• Timely delivery of expected outputs from the assessment
• Relevant general management or technical education and background.
• Practical working experience in the management and administration of research projects and administration.
• Demonstrated ability to work closely and effectively with relevant partner organizations.
• Extensive in-country experience in undertaking research.

Additional Expertise and Inputs

The Consultant will provide, for the duration of the proposed project, the full human resource complement to ensure effective completion of this assignment. The consultants are expected to commence their services as per the agreed work plan. It is expected at the very least that the consultancy team will constitute the following credentials.

1. A public finance expert with demonstratable experience in undertaking tracking and analysis of various public budgets including the CDF.
2. A WASH expert with an appreciation of the intricacies of the sector

13.0. Proposed budget
The consulting firm or individual consultant will provide an estimated, realistic, and itemized budget to produce the expected outputs. The budget should separate consultancy fees and any earmarked reimbursable expenses.