Request for Information - Water.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Subject: Request for Information Number 720669-21-RFI-00001-W

Reference: Improving access to safe drinking water

Issuance date: March 16, 2021

Responses due: April 6, 2021

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the Government. All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary, and the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the Government.

Background

Liberians have especially poor access to clean water and sanitation compared to other countries in the region, contributing to poor child health outcomes. In Liberia, one out of every eleven children dies before reaching his or her fifth birthday, with water-borne diseases such as diarrhea being one of the leading causes of mortality. Diarrhea and malnutrition also form a vicious cycle, with diarrhea making children more susceptible to malnutrition and malnutrition making children more susceptible to diarrhea. In Liberia, 30% of children under five are stunted (low height for age).

Child malnutrition is also a major contributor to under-five mortality due to malnourished children’s greater susceptibility to infections and slower recoveries from illness.

The Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) “service ladders” for WASH are conceptual frameworks developed by the WHO and UNICEF that are used as a standardized way of measuring WASH service levels across countries. The five rungs on the ladder measuring access to water services are shown below. To ensure improved health outcomes, the goal is to move people from the lowest rungs to at least the fourth rung: basic water services.

As of 2020, about 74.3% of Liberians had access to basic water services, including 82.7% of residents in urban areas and 63.0% of residents in rural areas. Few people in Liberia receive what would qualify as a safely managed service. Although only about 2% of the people in Liberia who use surface water live in urban areas, 50% of the people who use an unimproved water source live in urban areas. Water interventions are therefore needed in both rural and peri-urban/urban areas in order to reach people on the lowest rungs of the ladder and achieve the greatest health benefits.

Liberia is a priority country under the United States Government (USG) Global Water Strategy.

Previous USAID support to the water sector in Liberia has included the construction of water treatment plants and water supply kiosks in the cities of Robertsport, Sanniquellie, and Voinjama.

USAID/Liberia is now planning to improve access, use, and sustainability of water services in the counties of Montserrado and Margibi, especially among those currently using unimproved water sources, with the goal of helping them achieve at least a basic level of service.

Development Problem Statement

USAID has considerable experience working on water infrastructure in urban and peri-urban settings such as Montserrado and Margibi, where the cost-effectiveness of reaching people in more densely-populated areas is greater. Although the percentage of the population that already has access to basic water services in the two counties is fairly high, it is estimated that the counties are home to over 100,000 people who are still using unimproved water sources. This activity would seek to sustainably eliminate the use of surface water and unimproved water sources in Montserrado and Margibi, moving everyone to at least a basic level of water service.

To do so, the activity would address key systems challenges affecting water service delivery, including poor governance and financial management of water systems, lack of financing for water, lack of community involvement in designing and managing local water systems, and insufficient customer demand for basic water services, which have limited the sustainability of water investments in the past.

SPACE LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY

Activity Concept

The framework above summarizes the main results intended to be achieved through this activity.

USAID envisions a systems strengthening approach that will emphasize governance, innovative public and private financing, service delivery, and demand creation for improved water services.

Involving communities in the design and management of the new or renovated water points will be a key strategy for sustainability. Any water distribution scheme built under this activity will have to have low operations and maintenance costs in order to be sustainable, and communities will have the chance to voice their opinions on what type of water scheme would be best for them. (This draft results framework is issued for information and planning purposes and may be revised.)

USAID Liberia seeks information on prospective bidders who have relevant demonstrable experience with approaches to achieving the results outlined in the framework above. The following questions can be used to guide any feedback:

1. Does the draft results framework provide potential implementers with sufficient information and guidance about USAID’s overall objectives and expectations? What additional information is needed?

2. What additional or modified approaches should USAID and the Government of Liberia consider to achieve the results outlined in the results framework?

3. How can USAID and partners work more effectively with local actors and institutions to achieve the objectives of this activity?

4. People who are currently using unimproved water sources often do not have the financial resources to sustainably pay for basic water services. What innovative approaches could be used to subsidize or otherwise support people who cannot afford water services?

Responding to this RFI is strictly voluntary. It should be noted that providing comments will not give any organization any advantage in any subsequent procurement. USAID will not provide answers to any questions submitted in response to this request. Responses to this RFI may be incorporated into subsequent procurement documents should the Mission decide to go forward with the Activity.

Please provide your responses no later than April 6, 2021 by 1:00 pm, via email to Claudia Molina at cmolina@usaid.gov and Andrea M. Plucknett at aplucknett@usaid.gov. Submissions are limited to three pages total, and no pages beyond this limit (including Annexes) will be reviewed.

A Notice of Funding Opportunity or Solicitation for this activity will be issued at a later date and will be announced via Grants.gov or beta.SAM.gov as applicable. It will describe the application or proposal process in full.

All interested parties must respond to that notice of funding opportunity or solicitation separately from any response to this Request for Information. Issuance of this pre-notice of a funding opportunity or solicitation for comments does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the Government, nor does it commit the Government to pay for any costs incurred in order to prepare a response to this Pre-Notice.