Deadline: 20 May 2020
PRO-WASH is calling on the WASH community – non-governmental organizations, research institutions, and private-sector firms—to combine proven practices with new research, innovative technologies, and creative policies to develop affordable, sustainable solutions that meet the WASH needs of the vulnerable populations assisted by FFP programming.
This RFA is designed to address one of the major challenges facing USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (FFP) implementing partners: ensuring the long-term sustainability of key sanitation and hygiene products and services as part of multi-sectoral food security programming. Specifically, this RFA is meant to solicit applications for a market development strategy for sanitation and hygiene supplies and services for RISE II implementation areas in the Maradi and Zinder regions of Southern Niger.
The purpose of this request for applications (RFA) is to solicit applications for a market development strategy for sanitation and hygiene supplies and services in the RISE II implementation areas of Maradi and Zinder regions of Southern Niger. The market development strategy should provide actionable recommendations for potential business models, context-appropriate product design, financial mechanisms and strategies for strengthening the enabling environment at the village and commune levels.
Project Objectives, Deliverables & Audience
The objectives of this RFA are:
To solicit proposals to conduct and design a comprehensive market development strategy focusing on availability and provision of improved latrines and hand-washing related products in RISE II implementation areas of Maradi and Zinder regions of Niger. Strong preference will be given to applicants who submit proposals which employ human-centered design (HCD) approaches throughout the process of collecting user insights, identifying needs and supply chains for WASH products and proposing a final strategy.
The final deliverable should consider the following the primary research questions:
- The availability, scale and cost of sanitation supplies and services at the commune and village levels in Maradi and Zinder. This should not be limited to latrines only, but consider associated markets for super and sub-structure construction materials, including cement, hardware stores and masons which are context appropriate for installation in sandy soil
- The availability, scale and cost of local handwashing products including locally-produced or widely, commercially available soap products and handwashing stations at the commune and village levels in Maradi and Zinder
Research conducted under this sub-award should also take into account more specific areas of inquiry for implementing partners focusing on the supply and demand for sanitation and hygiene goods and services. These include:
- Household needs, preferences and willingness-to-pay for sanitation and hygiene products including an understanding of the incentives and barriers that drive household decision-making around the construction and maintenance of improved latrines and hand-washing facilities
- The availability of different toilet technologies for sub-sets of the population served by implementing partners working in Maradi and Zinder, including variations needed to adapt to local context, geographic locations, gender, ethnicities and disability. An assessment of available technologies should take into account available materials, local capacities, environmental issues and safely managed sanitation requirements
- The current presence, motivation, and capacities of local entrepreneurs either those currently engaged in selling and installation of WASH-related products, including adjacent products and services such as cement, hardware stores, and masons
- Potential existing financing options for households and businesses and their feasibility (e.g. banks, micro-finance institutions, savings and loan groups)
- The potential for private-sector partnerships with existing partners operating in Maradi and Zinder, particularly around sanitation and hand-washing supplies and services.
In addition to a comprehensive assessment of the current state of the sanitation and hygiene market in Maradi and Zinder regions, the final deliverable for this sub-award should include implementation recommendations for a context-specific, marketbased sanitation and hygiene market development strategy which includes:
- Knowledge Summary, which provides a detailed overview of existing knowledge and resources relevant to market-based sanitation and the relevant formative research conducted across DFSAs and RISE II partners.
- Target market segments, which identifies market segments for latrines products, fecal sludge management services, financial services, and hygiene products in the targeted areas. Market segments must address customers who live in areas with sandy soils and those with extreme water scarcity. Recommendations should include target market segments separately for each product and service.
- Viable business models: – Propose sanitation and hygiene business models that are likely to viable for the target market segments RISE II target communities within Maradi and Zinder. This may include business models that group products and services into marketable packages, create alliances or coordination among enterprises, or cluster market segment applicable to a single product or service. The proposed business models provided under this section should clearly detail a potential path to viability and that proposed mix of businesses are able to serve all critical target markets. Please explore where and when targeted subsidies would be required to serve specific target markets.
- Capacity-Strengthening & Partnership Approach, which outlines an operational approach to engage, support, learn, and adapt market-based sanitation and hygiene support. The primary audiences for this final deliverable are DFSA Technical WASH staff, management, RISE II partners and USAID/FFP . Successful applicants will also consider the importance of strengthening implementing partner capacity to take market-based sanitation programming forward, and should include additional capacity strengthening activities beyond a final report which both sensitize DFSA staff to the findings of the assessment, as well as, provide them with the tools needed to support internal planning for potential piloting . This deliverable should also include capacity gap analysis and recommendations.
Funding Information
- Save the Children will fund one award under this RFA up to $100,000 USD for a study period of up to six months beginning in June 2020.
- Final funding levels for each award will depend on content and needs of the proposed activity, with a ceiling of $100,000 USD. The award will be a Fixed Amount Award (FAA), which is a type of award that provides a pre-defined level of funding based on a schedule of pre-determined deliverables and results rather than reimbursement based on actual costs.
Duration
The duration of the award provided under this RFA for a duration of six months from the start date of the award with the possibility of extension at the discretion of the PRO-WASH Director.
Eligibility Criteria
- PRO-WASH will not accept applications from individuals. All applicants must be legally recognized organizational entities under applicable law. Applicants must comply with all applicable Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number and System for Award Management (SAM) requirements. Applicants are not required to have a DUNS number at the time of application but must have a DUNS number at the time of the award. Hence, applicants should be in the process of receiving a DUNS number to avoid any delays in the award process. Applicants must have completed all required steps (if any) with the host government to legally operate their program.
- Organizations are welcome to propose collaborative efforts, but each proposal must identify one organization that will be the lead/prime recipient of funding and be responsible for program requirements. The lead/prime organization also will be responsible for coordinating efforts with other partners. All collaborative efforts must be clearly identified and described in the proposal.
- The following are not eligible to apply for grants under this RFA:
- Individuals
- Government entities, including ministries
- Multilateral organizations
- Firms operating as commercial companies or other organizations (including nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations) that are wholly or partially owned by foreign governments or agencies
- Eligible entities include NGOs, universities, nonprofits and for-profit entities not owned in-full or in-part by foreign governments.
For more information, visit https://www.fsnnetwork.org/request-applications-market-development-strategy-improved-latrines-and-hand-washing-niger
