SOL-668-13-000010_DRAFT_SOW.pdf

Draft Statement of Work

South Sudan Rural, Water, Supply and Sanitation Project

USAID/South Sudan 9/12/2013

Table of Contents

I. Acronyms

SECTION C – DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

I. Title of Program

II. Purpose

III. Background and Context

1. Overview of South Sudan

2. History of USAID WASH Programming in South Sudan

IV. SSRWASH Relationship to USAID Strategies and Mission Programs

1. Relationship to USAID’s Water and Development Strategy

2. Relationship to USAID/South Sudan Transition Strategy and Mission Programs

V. Relationship to Republic of South Sudan, Local Stakeholders, and Donors

1. Republic of South Sudan

2. Local Stakeholders

3. Donors

VI. SSRWASH Statement of Work

1. Overview

2. Geographic Focus

3. SSRWASH Project Components

4. Grants Program

A. Implementation and Management of Activities under the Grants Program

B. Grants Under Contract (GUC)

C. Grant Making Procedures

D. SSRWASH Activity Database

5. Short‐term Technical Assistance (STTA) Activities

6. Support to U.S. Government Personnel

7. Monitoring and Evaluation

8. Reporting Requirements

9. Transition Awards

A. Criteria for Transition Awards

B. Procedures for Recommendations to USAID on Direct Transition Awards

C. Timeframe for Transition Awards:

10. Project Modifier

11. Communications and Information Technology

12. Financial Management, Vouchers, and Budgets

A. Financial Management

B. Sub‐Offerors

C. Funding Sources

13. Security

14. Work Week

15. Field Staffing and Administrative Structures

16. Phase‐Specific Responsibilities

A. Phase 1 ‐ Mobilization, Deployment and Start‐up

a. Overview

b. Tasks and Deliverables

B. Phase 2 ‐ Full Implementation

a. Tasks and Deliverables

C. Phase 3 ‐ Close‐Out

a. Overview

17. Other Considerations

VII. Results and Illustrative Indicators

VIII. Environmental Impact and Reviews

I. Acronyms

BRIDGE Building Responsibility for Delivery of Government Services CES Central Equatoria State CLTS Community‐Led Total Sanitation COR Contracting Officer’s Representative CPA Comprehensive Peace Agreement DO Development Objective EES Eastern Equatoria State EMMP Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan FTF Feed the Future GIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GRSS Government of the Republic of South Sudan GUC Grants Under Contract HWTS Household Water Treatment and Storage IEE Initial Environmental Examination IR Intermediate Results ISDP Integrated Service Delivery Project JICA Japan International Cooperation Agency KAP Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice KFW German government‐owned development bank MDG Millennium Development Goals MDTF Multi‐Donor Trust Fund MEO Mission Environmental Officer MOH Ministry of Health MWRI Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation NGO Non‐Governmental Organization OFDA Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance OTCM Office of Transition and Conflict Mitigation PPP Public Private Partnerships RAPID Responsive Assistance for Priority Infrastructure Program RWD Rural Water Department SISP Sudan Infrastructure Services Project SMOH State Ministry of Health SSDP South Sudan Development Plan SSRWASH South Sudan Rural Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (Project) SSUWC South Sudan Urban Water Corporation SUWASA Sustainable Water and Sanitation in Africa UNOPS United Nations Operations USAID United States Agency for International Development WASH Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene WES Western Equatoria State WMC Water Management Committee WPM Water Point Mapping

SECTION C – DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

I. Title of Program

South Sudan Rural Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Project

II. Purpose

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), South Sudan Mission, Health and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Office’s goal is to implement the South Sudan Rural Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (SSRWASH) Project. Building on USAID and other donor investments and experience in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector in South Sudan, USAID/South Sudan’s objective is to continue supporting the Government of the Republic of South Sudan (GRSS) to increase sustainable access to improved water supply and promotion of improved sanitation and hygiene in targeted rural areas through the implementation of the SSRWASH Project.

III. Background and Context

1. Overview of South Sudan

Since independence in 1956, Southern Sudan suffered from continuous civil war with only a decade of troubled peace from 1972 to 1983. As a result South Sudan has some of the world’s worst health indicators and infrastructure including for the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector. South Sudan will not meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) to half the number of people without access to improved water supply and sanitation services by 2015.

Officially 67 percent of the population of South Sudan, both urban and rural, has access to improved drinking water sources1. The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI) states that 30 – 50 percent of water facilities are non‐functional at any point in time due the lack of spare part supply chains, weak community management structures, weak maintenance capacity, poor management, and/or inappropriate choice of technology. Thus, the actual level of access to an improved water source in rural areas2 is estimated to be only 34 percent3 – which affects most of the country as over 80 percent live in rural areas, representing 90 percent of those living in poverty. Only 2.2 percent of households have water on the premises with a 20‐fold difference between urban (9.3%) and rural (0.4%). For those using an improved water source, 34 percent travel less than 30 minutes to and from the source while the remaining travel more than 30 minutes.4 This laborious daily task is overwhelmingly completed by women. Adult women are most commonly the water carriers (85.6%) but female children under age 15 are also significant collectors (8.8%). Water treatments can be used to make water safe to drink – boiling, adding bleach or chlorine, water filters, solar disinfection – but most households (88%) do not treat their water. Only 13 percent of the population has access to adequate sanitation facilities. Beyond limited access to improved water and sanitation there is low knowledge and practice of good hygiene behaviors.

Defined as piped water, public tap, borehole/tube well, protected well, protected spring, or rainwater.

The WHO definition of access to improved sources of water considers improved access to also mean that the water source is easily accessible (defined as no more than 30 minutes round trip to collect water).

The South Sudan WASH strategic framework, Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI), July 2011 MWRI and South Sudan Data.

Globally 88 percent of diarrheal‐related deaths can be attributed to poor WASH.5 Poor WASH is linked with poor health outcomes and in South Sudan the lack of access to improved water and sanitation and poor hygiene behaviors is a principal cause of water related diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, guinea worm and also contributes to malnutrition. In South Sudan, a total of 241,931 cases of acute watery diarrhea (incidence rate of 2928.8 per 100,000) with 414 related deaths were recorded between January

– September 2012.6 Children below five years of age accounted for 52 percent of all reported acute bloody diarrhea cases and 53 percent of deaths. Acute watery diarrhea cases and deaths recorded in the first nine months of 2012 is significantly higher when compared to those recorded between 2007 – 2011. The increased diarrhea trend among children is attributed to floods, malnutrition, limited health care services, population movement, poor sanitation of food and drink, insufficient access to sanitary latrines, and/or better data collection.7 South Sudan also remains host to 98 percent of the world’s remaining guinea worm cases, despite a reduction in caseload from more than 20,500 in 2006 to below 1,000 in 2011.8

With respect to nutrition, research demonstrates that access to improved drinking water sources and improved sanitation and hygiene can improve nutritional outcomes, e.g. the ability to keep calories in once ingested. WASH interventions also prevent intestinal parasitic infections alongside diarrhoea, and these infections also have synergistic effects with increasing incidences of malnutrition. Improved access to safe water, sanitation, and adequate hygiene can promote child growth and reduce the incidence malnutrition and is associated with improved child development outcomes. Improving WASH is necessary to improve health and nutrition outcomes.

WASH is also associated with educational access – as access to water and sanitation can be a reason why girls are kept out of school. Only 45 percent of South Sudan’s 3,349 basic primary schools have access to safe water and a mere 17 percent have adequate sanitary latrines for both girls and boys. In many developing countries, girls are often not permitted to attend schools that do not have latrines out of concern for their privacy and modesty. Improved access to water and sanitation at schools has been shown to increase school attendance amongst girls.9 The absence of clean and private sanitation facilities also discourage girls from attending school when they menstruate. This absence of approximately four days every four weeks may result in the girl missing 10 to 20 percent of school. This equally affects female teachers affecting both female students’ and teachers’ performance. No systematic research has been conducted on the relationship between the lack of appropriate sanitary facilities and the drop‐out rate of adolescent girls however some information suggests that 1 in 10 school‐age African girls do not attend school during menstruation or drop out at puberty because of the lack of clean and private sanitation facilities in schools. However, other studies suggest that poor sanitation facilities do not necessarily keep girls away from school, and that cultural beliefs are more of a barrier than the absence of sanitation facilities.10

Prüss‐Üstün A., Bos, R., Gore, F. & Bartram, J. 2008. Safer water, better health: costs, benefits and sustainability of interventions to protect and promote health. ] World Health Organization, Geneva.

Expansion of Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response Strategy in South Sudan. FY 2012 Final Report. WHO.

Expansion of Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response Strategy in South Sudan. FY 2012 Final Report. WHO.

Sudan Household Health Survey, 2010 (This estimate includes the use of shared facilities as an improved type as per the government definition of access. This is different from the MDG definition, which excludes the users of shared sanitation facilities which would lower coverage estimates to 7.)

http://www.unwater.org/downloads/bground_2.pdf Toolkit on Hygiene, Sanitation, and Water in Schools. http://www.wsp.org/Hygiene‐Sanitation‐Water‐

Toolkit/BasicPrinciples/GenderRoles.html

Beyond the health and educational burdens related to poor WASH access and behaviors, it is also associated with economic losses, environmental impacts, gender/social burdens, and intra and/or inter‐ ethnic conflict. Good management of water resources brings more certainty and efficiency in productivity across economic sectors and contributes to the health of the ecosystem. Since the burden of collecting water falls largely on women and girls, lack of access to improved water sources has the most significant impact on them, including their health, susceptibility to violence, and workloads.

Circumstances that exacerbate water scarcity can lead to a double hardship for women. When water is scarce, women and girls may have to travel longer distances to obtain water, and conditions are more dangerous. Providing physically accessible clean water promotes women and girls’ safety, and is essential for enabling them to devote more time to pursue education, income generation, empowerment and leisure activities, and thus contributes to gender equality. Equity in access or lack‐ thereof to water within and/or between communities is seen as a driver of conflict in many parts of South Sudan and has been shown to exacerbate deep rooted tensions over resources that can quickly escalate into communitywide intra and/or inter‐ethnic conflict.

Achieving sustained access to improved water supply and sanitation services is a daunting task in South Sudan but one which can yield great benefits. Globally, access to improved water sources have been shown to reduce diarrhea morbidity by 21 percent; access to improved sanitation can reduce diarrhea morbidity by 37.5 percent; and the simple act of washing hands at critical times can reduce the overall number of diarrhea cases by as much as 35 percent. Improvement of drinking‐water quality, such as point‐of‐use disinfection, can also lead to as much as a 45 percent reduction of diarrhea episodes.11 Water and sanitation interventions are proven to be some of the most cost effective across all regions in the world with production of additional economic benefits ranging from US$5 to US$46 per US$1 invested.12 WASH interventions also have less tangible but equally important benefits for women, children and the vulnerable with the ability to strengthen dignity, privacy, security, increase access to education and economic opportunities, and prevent inter‐communal conflict.

Over the past five years, the Government of the Republic of South Sudan (GRSS), with the support of international development partners has begun to address the water supply and sanitation needs of the South Sudanese population through policy and strategy development resulting in the National Water Policy (2007); the Strategic Framework for Water, Sanitation and Health (2011); the National Rural Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Sub‐sector Action and Investment Plan (2012‐2015); and the draft Water Act (2013). Through the end of 2012 the GRSS, with the World Bank as the executing agency, funded the Multi‐Donor Trust Fund (MDTF), which included resources for provision of water and sanitation services by state governments

South Sudan has some of the world’s worst WASH indicators on top of being a very challenging implementation environment, but there are opportunities to invest and make improvements in this sector. The GRSS is currently working with donors to develop a “New Deal Compact”, which will be an umbrella structure defining commitments and modalities for assistance. One of the topics of a New Deal Compact will be “revenue and services,” defining expectations and funding from the GRSS as well as donor support for basic services including water and sanitation.

United Nations Millennium Project. Health, Dignity, and Development: What Will it Take?

Hutton G, Haller L , Bartram J. 2007. Global cost‐benefit analysis of water supply and sanitation interventions. J Water Health 2007:5.4;481‐

502.

2. History of USAID WASH Programming in South Sudan

Before the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), USAID/Sudan did not invest significantly in development‐oriented water, sanitation, and health efforts in Southern Sudan. The primary assistance provided to the sector was through humanitarian programming implemented through the USAID/Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). After the signing of the CPA, USAID/OFDA provided funding for various international Non‐Governmental Organizations (NGO), UN organizations, and humanitarian organizations to support programming related to potable water, sanitation, public health services, and emergency shelter for flood victims. These activities addressed the emergency needs of returnees and displaced persons.

After the signing of the CPA, South Sudan required the WASH elements of the USAID/OFDA supported emergency response to be looked at with a sustainability lens. As a result, USAID started to support development versus humanitarian‐focused WASH programming, at the request of the MWRI. Urban programming targeted the cities of Juba, Wau, Malakal, and Maridi. Key WASH activities have included the following:

Sudan Infrastructure Services Project (SISP) 2007 – 2012: To respond to a major cholera outbreak that resulted in the death of over 4,000 confirmed cases in 2006; USAID performed an assessment of the WASH conditions in Juba in February 2007. As a result, in September 2007, the Louis Berger Group under SISP developed an activity for improved access to clean water and sanitation for underserved communities in Juba, Wau, and Malakal. In addition, this project provided capacity building to strengthen the South Sudan Urban Water Corporation (SSUWC) to assume greater responsibility for water service delivery. Phase 1 targeted Juba and included a combination of quick impact projects designed to stop the cholera outbreak, phase 2 focused on long‐term infrastructure investments and capacity building in Wau and Malakal including rehabilitating and expanding the Wau water treatment, minor rehabilitation in Malakal, and capacity building for utility staff in both cities.

Sustainable Water and Sanitation in Africa (SUWASA) 2011 – 2014: SUWASA focuses on reform in the urban water sector, which is governed by the SSUWC and a Board of Directors that is comprised of individuals from the SSUWC, MWRI, other relevant ministries, and Juba University. This is different from the governing bodies at the state and county level that shall be beneficiaries and partners of the SSRWASH Project. The SSUWC does not have the mandate to operate in the provision of water supply in these areas. SUWASA also supports the utilities and stations in Wau and Maridi at the state level. The program works to expand and improve their operations through developing urban water institutional and legal frameworks and building capacity at the national and state utility levels.

Responsive Assistance for Priority Infrastructure Program (RAPID) 2011 ‐ 2014: USAID is also supporting the implementation of a small water distribution system for Tambura town in Western Equatoria State. When completed, the project is expected to provide an estimated 12,500 people with access to an improved water source.

Building Responsibility in the Delivery of Government Services (BRIDGE) 2009‐2013: Implemented through the Democracy and Governance Office, WASH activities were a sub‐component of an overall governance program design to build the capacity of local governments for essential service delivery. The program focused heavily on governance challenges to sustainability and focused on building the capacity of local governments to deliver improved water and sanitation services in Warrap, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, and Unity States. The program supported communities with drilling of new boreholes, rehabilitation and repair of existing nonfunctional boreholes, and construction of latrines through Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS). It also increased the technical capacity of the Rural Water Departments (RWDs) in monitoring, water point mapping, database management, and water quality testing and surveillance. While the program contributed to increasing coverage and strengthening local capacity, it also demonstrated the massive challenges facing sustainable service delivery in rural areas. Although the WASH activity under BRIDGE was not designed as a stand‐alone program, there are important lessons learned around sustainability and strengthening of local government capacity that shall be considered in the design of SSRWASH activities. Under BRIDGE the beneficiary community was organized into water management committees (WMCs) who collected user fees to pay for the operations and maintenance of water points. Interventions that proved successful and offer lessons learned for future WASH investments include: importance of training members of the WMC in preventive maintenance which reduced the incidences of major breakdown in water points; linking WMCs to trained pump mechanics for the performance of routine and non‐routine maintenance with financial support provided by the community from the user fees collected; and linking the trained pump mechanics with the county water departments who provide spare parts and technical support for operations and maintenance. This management arrangement and practice has been effective in ensuring sustainability of the community managed water points under BRIDGE to date.

IV. SSRWASH Relationship to USAID Strategies and Mission Programs

1. Relationship to USAID’s Water and Development Strategy

The overall goal of USAID’s Water and Development Strategy (2013 – 2018) is “To save lives and advance development through improvements in water supply, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs and through sound management and use of water for food security.” The first strategic objective is to “Improve health outcomes through the provision of sustainable WASH;”13 which has three intermediate results (IR):

IR 1.1: Increase first time and improved access to sustainable water supply services IR 1.2: Increase first time and improved access to sustainable sanitation services IR 1.3: Increase adoption of improved key hygiene behaviors

The SSRWASH Project’s activities will contribute to achieving these three IRs, and thus shall improve health and nutrition outcomes, provide sustainable access to improved WASH infrastructure, and promote to gender equality. The USAID Water and Development Strategy has a strong focus on conflict prevention and sensitivity, as well as the role of women and girls and the gender considerations necessary for WASH programming, which shall be central themes of the SSRWASH Project. In addition to aligning with this Water and Development Strategy, SSRWASH directly responds to the mandate of USAID under the Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act, which requires USAID to address water supply and sanitation challenges as part of its development agenda. Furthermore, WASH activities shall contribute

USAID Water and Development Strategy. 2013‐2018.

http://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1865/USAID_Water_Strategy_3.pdf to the Agency’s Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy, and to the Gender and Water Millennium Development Goals.

2. Relationship to USAID/South Sudan Transition Strategy and Mission Programs

The USAID/South Sudan Transition Strategy (2011‐2013) has the overall goal to achieve an “Increasingly stable South Sudan, post‐CPA”. SSRWASH shall align with the USAID/South Sudan Transition Strategy as well as all forthcoming strategy amendments. To achieve this goal, USAID/South Sudan has four Development Objectives:

1) Conflict in Flashpoint Areas Mitigated

2) Effective, Inclusive and Accountable Governance Strengthened

3) Essential Services (Health, Education, Nutrition, and Water/Sanitation) Developed and Sustained

4) Agricultural Based Economic Opportunities Expanded

The Mission’s Health/WASH Office focuses on Development Objective (DO) 3, “Essential Services Developed and Maintained”, and is based upon the development hypothesis that South Sudan needs to provide essential services to its citizens to build a stable, sovereign nation. Stable political conditions become achievable when people feel that their governance institutions are responsive to their grievances and effectively address basic needs, such as education, health, and access to water. An educated and healthy workforce is necessary to the development of sustainable livelihoods, and educated and healthy citizens form the foundation for stable and democratic governance. As documented by focus group research, South Sudanese expect greater access to health care, education, and clean water as a result of independence. Improved WASH in communities, health facilities, and schools can lead to improved outcomes in the health and education sectors, which will support the achievement of DO 3.

The SSRWASH Project shall contribute directly and/or indirectly to the other Development Objectives as outlined in the USAID/South Sudan Transition Strategy (2011‐2013) and all forthcoming strategy amendments: DO 1 “Conflicts in flashpoint areas mitigated”; DO 2 “Effective, inclusive and accountable governance strengthened”; and DO 4 “Agricultural based economic opportunities expanded”. In addition, it shall link with and support improved outcomes in the democracy and governance, economic growth, conflict mitigation, food security and humanitarian assistance sectors, education, nutrition, and align with upcoming Feed the Future activities.

Development Objective 1, “Conflicts in flashpoint areas mitigated”: To support DO 1, SSRWASH shall apply a conflict‐sensitive approach to activity design and implementation using the principle of “do no harm”. Hence, activities shall be designed in all areas to ensure conflict is mitigated and not exacerbated through WASH programming. Limited and inequitable access to resources such as water and health services is often a driver of conflict within and/or between communities. Ensuring communities and ethnic groups, especially in areas where deep rooted tensions can quickly escalate into inter‐communal violence, have equitable access to basic WASH infrastructure, services and information will be critical to maintaining stability across South Sudan. Activities shall be designed with an understanding of the intra‐ and inter‐ethnic breakdown of an area, historical grievances within and between ethnic groups and mitigating factors of conflict in a situation/region in South Sudan. The SSRWASH Project will need to be aware of, and intentional about how, WASH activities can mitigate or exacerbate local realities. The SSRWASH Project shall also leverage WASH‐focused activities to reinforce peace messaging including support for non‐violent conflict resolution and peaceful coexistence, as well as strengthen the sense of commonality among different groups.

Development Objective 2, “Effective, inclusive and accountable governance strengthened”: To support DO 2, activities shall strengthen local WASH governance and management capacity. Ensuring sustainability of WASH services will require strengthened governance systems and government institutions for water supply and sanitation at the community, payam, county, and state levels. In rural areas local stakeholders shall have the capacity to monitor, regulate, and improve access to water and sanitation as well as sustainably operate and manage WASH infrastructure. For example, SSRWASH can increase and strengthen the capacity of RWDs at the county level to plan, coordinate, monitor, and manage water supply and sanitation programs and enable WASH supervisors and technicians to operate and manage WASH infrastructure to respond to their community’s needs.

Development Objective 4, “Agricultural based economic opportunities expanded”: Investments in WASH shall also support DO 4 since improved WASH is linked with improved economic outcomes. Research demonstrates that the poor gain directly from improved access to basic water and sanitation services through improved health, averted health care costs, and time saved – for example women can use this time to engage in income generating activities. Good management of water resources brings more certainty and efficiency in productivity across economic sectors and contributes to the health of the ecosystem. Taken together, these interventions lead to immediate and long‐term economic, social, and environmental benefits.14 Co‐locating agriculture and livelihoods programs with WASH activities at the community level will make coordination among different technical activities easier, encourage synergy, and increase impact. USAID’s Economic Growth Office’s mechanisms of engagement with the community are good examples of where coordination to achieve results can be focused and the SSRWASH Project shall integrate with these activities to avoid building parallel systems. In terms of food security linkages, there are well‐documented impacts that WASH can have on nutrition, for instance the ability to keep calories in once ingested and can contribute to reducing chronic malnutrition.

USAID/South Sudan is a Feed the Future (FTF) aligned country program, and expects to use FTF funds to support increased coordination to support of improved nutritional outcomes as it relates to sanitation and hygiene. Therefore, SSRWASH shall remain flexible to respond to opportunities to link with and leverage resources to improve nutritional outcomes through improved WASH.

The transition from humanitarian assistance to development programs has always been a challenge in post‐conflict countries. To bridge this gap, at the beginning of FY 2012, OFDA/South Sudan began to position its programs to more effectively enable the transition from humanitarian assistance to long‐ term development. USAID/South Sudan OFDA WASH programs have included traditional development approaches such as supporting community‐based water point site selection, the establishment of water committees to manage water points, and community‐based sanitation solutions, such as CLTS.

SSRWASH will work with OFDA and USAID’s Office of Transition and Conflict Mitigation (OTCM) to execute a transition in a selected state from humanitarian assistance to development starting in year two of project implementation. See geographical focus for more details in Section VII. 2.

Delivering improved and expanded WASH services to citizens and communities is a critical piece of the activities necessary to achieve results in DO 3 and therefore the overall USAID/South Sudan goal of an increasingly stable South Sudan.

http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/waterandmacroeconomics/en/

V. Relationship to Republic of South Sudan, Local Stakeholders, and Donors

1. Republic of South Sudan

USAID/South Sudan has a history of working with the GRSS MWRI and SSUWC and has always been a significant WASH donor, playing a key role in sector coordination and was instrumental in founding the WASH NGO Forum and the WASH Donor Group. USAID contributed towards the development of the National Water Policy (2007);

the Strategic Framework for Water, Sanitation and Health (2011); the National Rural Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Sub‐ sector Action and Investment Plan (2012‐2015); and the draft Water Act (2013). The National Rural Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Sub‐sector Action and Investment Plan was developed to implement the strategic priorities for rural WASH as identified in the WASH Sector Strategic Framework approved in November 2011 by the Council of Ministers, Republic of South Sudan, and is in line with the South Sudan Development Plan (SSDP), the Water Policy 2007, and the State Strategic Plans. A future New Deal Compact will also define GRSS commitments to and donor support for water and sanitation.

The National Rural Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Sub‐sector Action and Investment Plan highlights the need for participatory community based processes, developing effective local management structures to increase community ownership, development and involvement of the private sector, improving local governance and the inclusion of women, children and vulnerable groups in the planning and development of rural WASH activities. The SSRWASH Project activities shall take into consideration specific objectives as outlined in the relevant GRSS plans and strategies.

2. Local Stakeholders

Active participation from beneficiaries is of paramount importance for effective service delivery and sustainability. The SSRWASH Project shall focus on engaging beneficiaries to ensure their participation in the planning, utilization, management, and monitoring and evaluation of activities and support communities to serve as the driver for effective WASH behavior change. WASH infrastructure investments will be selected based upon a demand responsive approach and therefore community engagement and capacity building is critical to increasing first time and improved access to sustainable water supply services.

The SSRWASH Project will support participatory approaches to identifying appropriate local governance structures to improve their equity and functionality. The users at the community level, as the primary beneficiaries, will be leveraged to assume the majority of the responsibility for management and operation of new and/or improved water sources and sanitation facilities to support sustainability of investments. Traditionally water management committees and/or community action groups are mobilized to support operations and maintenance of new or improved water sources but other

In order to maximize the sustainability of investments the SSRWASH Project shall align with best practices and employ an at scale approach based on participatory‐ based planning and management.

The Project shall support participatory approaches inclusive of women, youth, and minority groups to identify appropriate locations for new water distribution points and sanitation facilities; to engage the local community in the selection of technology and development of WASH infrastructure; and to identify appropriate local governance structures to improve WASH equity and functionality.

governance mechanisms that have the potential to be effective shall be considered, including linkages with existing functional community groups. Furthermore, to improve the functionality of WASH investments, it is essential to ensure accountability between the community and their governmental counterparts. The community is a key beneficiary but a successful activity shall be implemented with governmental support at the county, state and central levels. The SSRWASH program shall ensure these linkages are functioning.

Women are key local stakeholders as they bear the largest burden and responsibility for household WASH – they have the primary responsibility for managing the household water supply, sanitation, and health but are often barred from playing meaningful decision‐making roles and/or holding influential positions of power. Through WASH activities women shall be empowered to take on leadership roles in management and operations of water in their communities.15 The SSRWASH project activities will specifically target women and improve their representation in governance, decision making processes, and the development of WASH activities to reduce their WASH related burdens.

Minority ethnic groups also need to be seen as critical local stakeholders and actively participate in decision making. Exclusion of minority groups only allows existing tensions to fester and potentially escalate into communitywide conflict. By encouraging diverse participation in design and implementation of SSRWASH activities positive intra‐ and inter‐community relationships will be strengthened creating a strong foundation for dialogue and non‐violent conflict resolution.

As detailed, the role of the community and local stakeholders, especially women and minority groups, is paramount to the success and sustainability of WASH investments. The sequencing of activities throughout the life of the project is critical to sustainability. For example benchmarks shall be in place related to community capacity and women’s participation related to the management and operation of WASH infrastructure before construction. If a community cannot contribute financially or in‐kind, and does not have the proper systems in place for operations and management, then it is not wise to build or improve upon the infrastructure. Please see Section VII, Project Description.

3. Donors

USAID/South Sudan is active member and Co‐chair of the WASH Donor Coordination Group a forum for activity coordination to ensure program complementarity and geographical coverage. As a result of the coordination with the MWRI and within the WASH Donor Coordination Group, donor assistance efforts are geographically distributed. USAID/South Sudan took a leadership role in the improvement of water supply in the urban capitals of Wau and Maridi. The World Bank managed MDTF, which is ends in June 2013, supported nine water quality laboratories with offices, equipment and furniture; and also conducted feasibility studies for water supply improvement projects for seven state capitals (Torit, Bor, Bentiu, Aweil, Kuajok, Rumbek and Yambio). The German Development Bank (KfW), through joint EU funding, plans to support the infrastructure construction of four state capitals’ water supply (Yambio, Torit, Bor and Rumbek), as identified by the World Bank study, and plans for the remaining three are being finalized. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) is establishing municipal water and sanitation companies in Yei and Yambio ‐ this is a potential link for SSRWASH activities and the project shall coordinate with GIZ in these areas as relevant to achieving project objectives. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is supporting the SSUWC to develop master plans for water http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/pdf/un_water_policy_brief_2_gender.pdf delivery systems in Juba and Malakal, and plans to construct a new water treatment plant and distribution system in Juba. Although the World Bank is currently phasing out its support to the WASH sector, it is also rolling out a local governance project nationwide to support state and county procurement processes, which include $15,000 USD per county for water. The Royal Kingdom of Netherlands is supporting a Local Government Capacity Program (GLCP) in Eastern Equatoria State (EES), in the greater Torit area covering two counties. The support is focused on strengthening the capacity of local authorities to develop and implement WASH policies and strategies. The SSRWASH shall coordinate with the Royal Kingdom of Netherlands in EES through the MWRI to ensure no overlap and complementarity of efforts.

The rural WASH sector has little non‐humanitarian assistance related support. UNICEF, partially funded by USAID/OFDA, is the only significant actor with some other donors emerging with new programs. The SSRWASH Project will fill a programmatic gap in rural WASH programming in South Sudan.

VI. SSRWASH Statement of Work

1. Overview

The SSRWASH Project shall contribute to the Intermediate Results (IR) under the USAID/South Sudan Development Objective 3 (DO 3): Essential Services (Health, Education, Water and Sanitation) Developed and Sustained – or any amendments to USAID/South Sudan’s DOs and IRs.

IR3.1 Services Delivered to Citizens and Communities Improved and Expanded

IR3.2 Systems and Enabling Environment for Service Delivery Strengthened

IR3.3 Citizens Engagement with Government Institutions and Demand for Services Provided Increased

As outlined previously, the SSRWASH Project shall contribute to the USAID Water and Development Strategy (2013 – 2018), the Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act, USAID’s Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy, and to the Gender and Water Millennium Development Goals. SSRWASH activities shall support USAID development objectives in other complementary sectors: education, democracy and governance, economic growth, and conflict mitigation.

More specifically, the goal of SSRWASH is “Improved water, hygiene, and sanitation in select states in South Sudan” and the project purpose is defined as “Essential water, hygiene, and sanitation behaviors improved and services developed and sustained”. Activities shall focus on the following four components.

1. Improve WASH behaviors of individuals, households, and communities.

2. Expand access to WASH infrastructure.

3. Develop and support public‐private partnerships for improved supply of WASH related products and services.

4. Strengthen WASH governance at the community, payam, county, and state levels.

The SSRWASH Project shall increase first time use of, and/or better access to, WASH infrastructure, as well as improved WASH behaviors of individuals, households, and communities. In addition to the intermediate results highlighted above, SSRWASH interventions shall result in improved health and nutrition outcomes, and contribute to gender equality in the selected communities. Focused demand creation and promotional activities shall be applied for the four key hygiene practices: hand washing with soap, use of appropriate latrines, the safe storage and treatment of water in households at the point of use, and food hygiene. Infrastructure investments are only valuable if invested in communities and areas where significant investments are also made in behavior change and improved governance – both key to sustainability. Therefore behavior change and demand creation (Component 1) is fundamental to achieving success under the other three components; investments at the community level in infrastructure, private sector, and community governance shall be focused on those communities first demonstrating a demand for improved WASH as well as demonstrating the capacity and commitment to manage and operate WASH infrastructure. Women have the primary responsibility for managing the household water supply, sanitation, and health. Therefore, special emphasis shall be given to ensure women are engaged as key stakeholders at all stages of project design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation – as well as ensure their leadership roles in the operations and maintenance of WASH at the community level.

Creating demand and ensuring the availability of appropriate, affordable, and desirable products and services are key to achieving and sustaining improved water and sanitation coverage. While expanding access to improved water supply and basic sanitation infrastructure and practices are critical to the health and welfare of South Sudanese and prevention of inter‐communal conflict in the short term, operation and maintenance, and effective use of these facilities are important for their long‐term utilization and sustainability. Therefore, a component of the SSRWASH activity shall be building the WASH governance capacity of state and local governments, county departments, and beneficiary communities for sustaining service delivery and investments. Traditional WASH management structures at the community level in South Sudan are not always successful. The SSRWASH Project shall employ new and locally appropriate management structures to achieve sustainability and provide innovative solutions to governance issues in complex environments. Given the broader challenges within the local governance sector in South Sudan, Offerors shall propose creative strategies to engage and strengthen local organizations through small grants to Community Service Organizations (CSOs), women groups, youth, and underrepresented groups or coalitions of CSOs to further the objectives of the SSRWASH Project. Involvement and development of the private sector through public‐private partnerships (PPP) for the provision of water and sanitation products and services shall be incorporated into the program in support of long term sustainability, while supporting economic growth.

Implementation shall require systematic coordination with other relevant USAID Projects and Offices;

MWRI at the Central Level; Water and Sanitation Directorates under state line ministries; and other ministries (education, health), donors, and local stakeholders. The components and illustrative activities are described in detail in Section VII. 3. Results and proposed indicators are detailed in Section VIII.

2. Geographic Focus

The SSRWASH Project shall seek at scale and equitable state and county coverage of improved water supply services and sanitation facilities, and improved hygiene behaviors with a focus on activities in Central Equatoria State (CES), Eastern Equatoria State (EES),and Western Equatoria State (WES) through

Traditional WASH management structures at the community level in South Sudan are not always successful. The SSRWASH Project must employ new and locally appropriate management structures to achieve sustainability and provide innovative solutions to governance issues in complex environments.

demand responsive infrastructure improvements, improved state wide governance, use of a conflict sensitive approach and conflict prevention techniques, gender integration, private sector involvement, and behavior change. The USAID/Economic Growth Office has agriculture activities operating in Eastern Equatoria State (EES) – but the USAID/Health Office does not ‐ and the SSRWASH Project shall have a plan to implement activities under all components in counties and communities in EES where USAID/Economic Growth activities are active. While governance, private sector, conflict mitigation, and behavior change programming seeks transformative impact across the entire states, priority areas for water supply will include water stressed villages, health facilities, schools, markets, and other areas identified in consultation with the respective Directorates for Water and Sanitation, key stakeholders, and synergistic implementation with USAID’s health, agricultural, and forthcoming nutrition activities.

The SSRWASH Project shall be required to overlay its activities and foci with existing USAID Projects and Programs focusing on health, education, nutrition, and agriculture in the SSRWASH Project’s areas of operation to maximize results, ensure complementarity of effort, and reduce costs.

Even though the main focus of SSRWASH activities shall be in CES, EES and WES, in order to support the transition from humanitarian relief to development programs the SSRWASH Project shall work with USAID/South Sudan’s Health/WASH Office, OFDA, and OTCM to identify a minimum of one state that has WASH programming supported by OFDA to transition portions of the programming from relief to development. This transition shall be carried out in close coordination with relevant USAID Offices and partners on the ground. Potential states to transition from OFDA to SSRWASH are: Jonglei, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Unity, Upper Nile, and Warrap. This transition shall depend on various factors, for example whether ongoing humanitarian crises exist and whether the selected state can effectively transition to development assistance. It is assumed there will be conflict in the selected state but the degree of conflict and whether it is considered a humanitarian crisis will determine its eligibility. The Offeror shall demonstrate capacity to work at various points along the stability continuum. This process shall be initiated in year two of the SSRWASH Project and may include only portions of the project components, rather than all four, the SSRWASH Project shall include suggestions for phased approaches to rolling out program activities in the additional state. A cost effective approach shall be implemented when moving forward with any humanitarian assistance to development assistance transitions.

Due to ongoing insecurity in many areas of South Sudan and the potential for new areas of insecurity to arise, the design of activities under the SSRWASH Project shall include scenario planning. Furthermore, the SSRWASH Project design shall demonstrate flexibility and an ability to respond to shifting conditions, including instability and conflict.

3. SSRWASH Project Components

Component 1: Improve WASH behaviors of individuals, households, and communities.

To improve the WASH behaviors of individuals, households, and communities, focused demand creation and promotional activities shall be applied for the four key hygiene practices: hand washing with soap, use of appropriate latrines, the safe storage and treatment of water in households at the point of use, and food hygiene. The SSRWASH Project shall use evidence‐based practices, be based on gender and cultural analyses, and build on previous work to develop and implement at scale sanitation and hygiene behavior change programs to generate demand for and action to achieve improved WASH behaviors at the individual, household, and community level. At present the knowledge of and demand for sanitation in South Sudan remains low which requires a well‐planned, coordinated and supported program focused on behavior change as a first step. The behavior change component shall be based upon formative research and best practices in the field and lessons learned from other USAID Projects, donors, and NGOs working in this field. Behavior change activities shall promote problem‐solving skills to build ownership of the WASH issues but also confidence that they can implement small doable actions without external funding. Behavior change and demand creation is fundamental to achieving success and sustainability under the other three components. Investments in infrastructure, private sector, and WASH governance (Components 2, 3, and 4) shall be focused on those communities demonstrating a demand for improved WASH as well as demonstrating the capacity and commitment to sustainably manage, maintain and operate WASH investments. Specifically, knowledge of and demand for sanitation in South Sudan remain low, before investing in rural sanitation construction it shall be necessary to generate demand for latrines through CLTS to ensure utilization of latrines once constructed.

Activities under this component will not only generate demand for improved WASH behaviors and practices but shall result in improved measurable health outcomes. In South Sudan the lack of access to improved water and sanitation and poor hygiene behaviors is a principal cause of water related diseases and also malnutrition. With respect to nutrition, research demonstrates that access to improved drinking water sources and improved sanitation and hygiene can improve nutritional outcomes, e.g. the ability to keep calories in once ingested. Behavior change activities shall be linked to how improved WASH also promotes improved nutritional outcomes.

Behavior change efforts shall include utilization of all communal, educational, and public forums including schools, health facilities, markets and any existing social structures such as savings’, farmer’s, women’s, or youth groups to avoid building parallel…