Hiring of Consultant

for

Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) for the outsourcing of the Operations and Management (O&M) of various components of the municipal services in Jacobabad, Sindh

under

USAID’s Water Governance for Sindh Activity

i.             Background:

In 2010, USAID/Pakistan entered into a partnership with the Government of Sindh (GoS) to improve the provision of basic municipal services. Beginning in 2014, USAID/Pakistan financed the Municipal Services Program-Sindh (MSP-S) in Jacobabad City, the capital of the Jacobabad District in Northern Sindh. MSP-S had three components:

          (1) water and sanitation infrastructure upgrades;

          (2) civic engagement for inclusive governance; and

          (3) establishment of management information systems.

As a result of the infrastructure upgrades, it is estimated that there would be 35,000 water supply connections provided to the households in the city, benefitting approximately 350,000 citizens after the project duration.

Existing USAID intervention and Sindh Government Partnership: A summary of direct financial support from USAID and from GoS for Jacobabad’s drinking water system is shown below:

• USAID support to Program Management Unit (PMU) in Karachi/Project Support Unit (PSU) in Jacobabad for contracting for construction (to date):
• USAID support for Architecture and Engineering (A&E) services for design and construction supervision in Jacobabad
• USAID Support for Civic Engagement/Community Mobilization
• GoS Support to Municipal Committee Jacobabad

USAID’s Water Governance for Sindh Activity:

Under the Water Governance for Sindh Activity (WGS), HANDS is providing technical assistance to the Municipal Committee Jacobabad, intending to increase Municipal Committee Jacobabad’s capacity to deliver clean drinking water, manage wastewater, and solid waste management services. The activity also works with local communities to create awareness around health and hygiene practices,, including household water management, wastewater, and solid waste management. The community engagement is expected to result in WASH-aware citizens willing to pay for improved municipal services.

ii.            Concept of Public-Private Partnership:

Public-private partnership (PPP) is an emerging policy narrative that is being recognized as an effective mechanism for service delivery by all governments of the world. Since, 1990s many governments embarked on ambitious reforms to improve their urban water supply and sanitation (WSS) services to private operators under various contractual arrangements under public-private partnerships (PPPs) modalities to improve the poorly performing public municipalities with the introduction of new expertise, financial resources, and more commercial orientation. 

iii.           Assignment:

HANDS, under USAID’s Water Governance for Sindh Activity intends to hire a consultant/consulting firm to explore potential private sector engagement and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) for outsourcing the Operations and Management (O&M) of various components of the municipal services in Jacobabad, Sindh currently managed and run by Municipal Committee Jacobabad (MCJ).

The consultant would provide support to the Local Government Department, GoS the parent Department of MCJ, and the PPP NODE Local Government to explore potential PPP opportunities in Jacobabad, Sindh which can bring positive outcomes and sustainable impact.

Objectives of the Consultancy:

i)      To undertake a regulatory and legal review of the PPP regime in Sindh, particularly in the context of Water Supply, Wastewater, and Solid Waste Management.

ii)    Identify a list of prerequisites for the development of partnerships through PPP mode and execute by the PPP Node of Local Government Department- Government of Sindh.

iii)   Develop a comprehensive work plan for this assignment including the overall structure of the activity, and breakdown of tasks and its associated timelines.

iv)   Develop a final report.

v)    Present findings/recommendations to MCJ, Local Government Department-GoS.

iv.           Scope of Work:

The scope of work of the assignment is to explore USAID Water Governance for Sindh Activity, Jacobabad possible options of outsourcing i) Water Supply ii) Wastewater & iii) Solid Waste management services to private operators under Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) modality to improve the current performance by introducing new expertise, financial resources, and more commercial orientation through the implementation of a robust Service Management Contract.

v.            Milestones:

The milestones, means of verification, level of effort, and timelines are as under:

vi.           Required Skills and Experience:

The position requires a master’s degree in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Finance, or other relevant fields from a reputed local or international university (preferred), with a minimum of 8-10 years of experience working on similar assignments in public and private sector. Strong research, analytical, and writing skills are needed. Familiarity with USAID-funded projects and donor-funded business enabling environment or PPPs policy-related areas would be an advantage.

vii.         Period of Assignment:

The consultant is expected to complete the assignment within 6 months (Sept 1 2023 to Jun 30, 2024)

viii.        Guideline for submission of Proposal:

The contents of the Technical Proposal are mentioned below:

1. Brief introduction of consultant/firm (attach detailed CV with references)
2. Understanding of Assignment
3. Methodology
4. Experience in similar PPP projects/assignments
5. Work Plan (Proposed)

ix.           Submission of Proposal:

Interested consultant/consulting firms can apply through the submission of hard and soft copies of the Technical and Financial proposals in two separate sealed envelopes at the following address by 8^th October 2023 at 5:00 pm.

Head of Department

HANDS Human Resource and Institutional Development Department

Plot #158, Off M9 (Karachi – Hyderabad) Motorway, Gadap Road adjacent to Baqai University, Karachi, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-32120400-10

x.            Contract Type:

This is a fixed cost assignment and “reimbursement mode of payment” against the achievement of milestone/s. No additional/ support/ operational cost will be paid by HANDS beyond the quoted amount by the Consultant at the proposal submission stage.

xi.           Workspace and Use of Personal Laptop and Software(s):

The consultant must use his/ her laptop and must certify that all software used is genuine and licensed to ensure that the project’s IT resources are protected from accidental destruction or deliberate attempts at sabotage by computer viruses and other hazards.

xii.         Reporting:

The consultant will report to the Chief of Party WGS/Head of WASH Department/Chief of WASH/Chief Executive. He/she will be required to interact and work in coordination with the WGS Team to complete this assignment.