Harold Lockwood

Catarina Fonseca

Christophe Nothomb

BrusselsJune 30 2011

European Commission – European Investment Bank

Seminar

SUSTAINABLE SERVICES AT SCALE

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BACKGROUND TO TRIPLE-S AND WASHCOST

Triple-S: a six year research project 2009 – 2014

WASHCost: a five year research project 2008 - 2013

Both managed by IRC in collaboration with partners and both funded by BMGF as part of their WASH learning initiative

.... and both rooted in tackling long-term challenges of sustainable WASH service delivery

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1990 to 2008: coverage increased from 1.59 to 2.32 billion (JMP 2010)

Tens of billions of dollars invested

Evolving approaches: VLOM, community management, DRA, post-construction support

Testing new elements: gender, supply chains, water resource protection

MUCH EFFORT AND PROGRESS MADE

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About 730 million still un-served (JMP 2010)

88% of investment required for recurrent costs (GLAAS 2010)

Unacceptable failure rates

Waste of investments and health, dignity, well-being and livelihoods affected

BUT MANY CHALLENGES REMAIN

30% - 40% of hand pumps in Africa are not functioning

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SO WHAT HAS GONE WRONG?

@Akvo

2. Financing focused on initial construction and not lifetime costs

3. Lack of investment to improve overall sector capacity

1. An obsession with coverage and building infrastructure at the scale of the community

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SO WHAT HAS GONE WRONG?

4. Weak WASH sectors – lack of incentives, political influence and corruption (ignoring the political economy?)

5. A donor-dominated, fragmented and competing sector

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INCREASING COVERAGE IS NOT THE WHOLE STORY

Breakdowns, failures, non-functionality, slippage ........... a

tipping point which is now a threat to achieving the MDGs?

Breakdowns, failures, non-functionality, slippage ........... a

tipping point which is now a threat to achieving the MDGs?

Build on current progress, but shift from implementation to service delivery

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THE SERVICE DELIVERY APPROACH

Implement

Upgrade

Service Delivery Approach

Upgrade

Replace

Implement Implement Implement

Implementation approach

Time

Service level

Investment (capital expenditure)

Investment (operational expenditure)

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UNDERSTANDING THE REAL COSTS OF SERVICE DELIVERY

Capital expenditure: one-off investments in hardware and software (CapEx)

Operational and minor maintenance expenditure: planned small repairs and maintenance (OpEx)

Capital maintenance expenditure: large, lumpy rehabilitation and replacement costs (CapManEx)

Direct support: regular support to communities and operators (ExpDS)

Indirect support costs: policy development, ministries (ExpIDS)

Costs of capital: interest on loans (CoC)

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MAKING SUSTAINABLE SERVICES WORK AT SCALE

Shift focus from infrastructure to a service delivery perspective

Strengthen sector capacity at all levels for learning, innovation and internal policy development

Move from development partners working in isolation to improved harmonisation and alignment

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Working collaboratively and building on what already exists (‘80 - 20’ rule)

Always with and through national government leadership

Recognising the importance of the political economy in change

Bringing and sharing lessons and documentation from outside

Leveraging investment resources

“A systemic approach is required to solve complex problems”

HOW TRIPLE-S WORKS

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HOW TRIPLE-S APPROACHES

SECTOR CHANGE

ANALYSING SECTOR PROBLEMS

ANALYSING SECTOR PROBLEMS

Collectively analysing problems and challenges facing the sector at scale

Collectively identifying potential gaps and solutions across the whole sector (taking a systemic approach)

IDENTIFIYING POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

IDENTIFIYING POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

COLLABORATIVE REFLECTION AND

LEARNING

COLLABORATIVE REFLECTION AND

LEARNING

TAKING LEARNING TO SCALE

TAKING LEARNING TO SCALE

Action research and piloting to address the key bottlenecks and trigger issues at different levels

Collectively applying learning and proven approaches at scale across different levels in the sector

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TRIPLE-S PRINCIPLES

FRAMEWORK

TRIPLE-S PRINCIPLES FRAMEWORK

Levels of intervention

Principles Water service

provision

Intermediate National International

Service Delivery Approach

Policy, legislation and institutional

Financing

Planning

Transparency and accountability

Learning and self-sustaining capacity

Awareness and skills

Culture of learning and information sharing

Harmonisation and Alignment

Harmonisation and alignment

Coordination

PR

INC

IPL

ES

LEVELS OF INTERVENTION

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WORKING WITH PRINCIPLES

FRAMEWORK

Inspiration and reflection – not prescriptive blueprint

Systemic tool that shows inter-connectivity of sector challenges and solutions

Can be used for analysis, planning and monitoring or evaluations

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WHAT DOES THIS MEAN IN PRACTICE? - SOME BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS

Professionalising CBM:

• Clarify policy & legislation

• Separation of functions

• Support business culture

Recognise alternative management models:

• Local private operators

• Support to self-supply

Learning and innovation:

• Permanent support to learning (funding)

• Creation of platforms at national and local levels

Capacity support:

• To service providers, including CBM

• To decentralised local government

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WHAT DOES THIS MEAN IN PRACTICE? - SOME BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS

Asset management:

• Clarify asset ownership

• Updated asset inventories

• Asset risk forecasting

Planning for life-cycle costs:

•Capital maintenance costs

• Direct and indirect support costs

Support to aid harmonisation:

• SWAp

• Funding mechanisms – basket, MTEFs

Monitoring service delivery:

• Measure services not just access

• Support performance mgt.

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Sits in CWSA and key sector fora

Supports CWSA to strengthen sustainability of its investments (government, donors and loans)

Piloting and demonstrating new modalities – monitoring indicators, review of bye-laws, regulation etc.

Taking learning results to scale

Leveraging World Bank $75 million loan

“CWSA is making a paradigm shift in its approach to rural water supply from focus on project to delivery of services.”

Chief Exec. CWSA

TRIPLE-S IN GHANA

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Partnerships and coalitions – World Bank, WSP, USAID, Global Water Challenge (charter), RWSN

Research and documentation - 13 country study and building blocks series

Learning and training events in USA, Europe, Australia

HOW TRIPLE-S WORKS INTERNATIONALLY

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POTENTIAL COLLABORATION WITH EC - EIB

In country collaboration

Technical inputs and support e..g JMP monitoring consultation in Berlin, AfDB, IADB, RWSN vision

Training in Service Delivery Approach and Life-cycle costs

Joint documentation and dissemination

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WATER SERVICES THAT LAST

www.waterservicesthatlast.org