Energy Saving Trust announces RFPs for Solar Water Pump Research

Deadline: 23-Jul-20

Energy Saving Trust (EST) has launched a request for proposals for the ‘Environmental sustainability of solar water pumping in Sub-Saharan Africa’, a project commissioned through the Low Energy Inclusive Appliances (LEIA) programme.

Objectives

• The LEIA programme has a research mandate that includes consumer, market, technical and impacts research activities. The impacts research component includes a mandate to estimate environmental impacts, maximize positive impacts and understand and make recommendations for mitigating negative impacts of interventions.
• Therefore, Energy Saving Trust (EST) proposes to launch this research with the objective of bridging the knowledge gap related to potential negative impacts on groundwater tables as we expand access to SWPs in Sub-Saharan Africa.  This research will also aim to make recommendations on how interventions for expanding access to solar water pumps can be made using environmentally sound principles.

Geographical Focus

The analysis will document a big-picture risk assessment at the Sub-Saharan Africa level, with a deeper dive in East and West African countries.

Approach

The work will be delivered with the help of an external consultant, contracted specifically for this project. The consultant should have strong experience on topics such as farmer-managed irrigation, groundwater resources and water management with a focus on low income countries in Africa. The consultant should have demonstrable knowledge of different water pumping technologies being used in rural regions in developing countries. This research should be informed by key informant interviews with knowledgeable individuals from a range of companies representing manufacturing and distributors, and a similar number of experts from research institutions, relevant INGOs, governmental institutions and donors.

Deliverables

The study will lead to the following deliverables:

• A peer reviewed main report (30-40 pages plus Annexes) containing
  • an executive summary written for non-specialists;
  • a critical analysis and synthesis of estimates and projections of the market potential for solar pumps in SSA;
  • a detailed review of the threats to the environmental sustainability of the anticipated solar water pumping market set within a clearly formulated conceptual framework;
  • bespoke recommendations for the various identified stakeholder groups;
  • a full reference list and select bibliography.
• A blog post explaining the objectives and key findings of the study.
• An infographic explaining key findings.
• A Powerpoint presentation consolidating the key findings.
• A webinar organised by Energy Saving Trust and presented by the contractor.

Requirements

Interested parties are required to submit the following documents for submission:

• Financial proposal: This should include a detailed budget estimate in US Dollars outlining fees and expected expenses for the duration of the project. Detailed budget should include all direct and indirect cost estimates for executing the project, detail specifically a break-down (in days) of the level of effort associated with the activities.
• An outline of the breadth and depth of the consultant’s relevant experience, and the level of expertise to be able to deliver on this scope of work. [up to 500 words]
• An outline of the consultant’s experience in working in the field overseas, particularly in the context of developing countries. This should include consultant’s experience in being able to deliver quality outputs in a short space of time that can be shown to have had a significant impact. [up to 500 words]
• Any other information [Up to 250 words]
• Two recent relevant publications
• Contact details of two referees whom Energy Saving Trust can reach out to
• Submissions from individual consultants, research organizations or consulting firms are encouraged. A consortium of consultants and/or consulting firms is allowed. Detailed CVs of all expected individuals working on the project should be submitted. A hired consultant can sub-contract other parties as needed. In such cases please include details of expected sub-contracted parties as part of submission process.