Backstopping Services to the Rural Water and Sanitation Support Programme Kosovo (RWSSP)
Location
Republic of Kosovo (country-wide)
project period
2011 – 2013 (Phase IV)
2014 – 2017 (Phase V)
2018 – 2022 (Phase VI - Exit Phase)
client
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
Services provided
Consultancy
Partner organisation
Holinger Ltd.
Since 2005, the Rural Water and Sanitation Support Programme (RWSSP) has provided better access to safe drinking water and sanitation to about 600’000 people living in rural areas of Kosovo. Whilst investing into infrastructure improvement, it supported performance improvements of the country’s seven Regional Water Companies (RWC). By the end of Phase V late 2017, the country had met the Millenium Development Goals (MDG) with over 80% of its population supplied with water by a licensed and regulated water utility. By further strengthening the capacities of the RWCs and their oversight bodies, and with targeted infrastructure investments, the Phase VI – Exit Phase (2018-2020) consolidated the past achievements and contributed to an increasingly sustainable and socially inclusive provision of high-quality water and sanitation services in Kosovo. Over the 15 years of existence, the different Programme components were implemented by various local and international organisations. Since Phase IV, Skat Consulting Ltd. has been providing specific backstopping services to those implementing agencies and to the Swiss Cooperation Office (SCO).
The backstopping mandate to the RWSSP delivered by Skat Consulting Ltd. in association with Holinger Ltd. provides support services to the Swiss Cooperation Office (SCO) in Kosovo, the implementing agencies (Community Development Initiative and Dorsch International Consultants) and national sector institutions in the management and implementation of the entire Programme. The main backstopping functions were:
Programme steering support and quality assurance / advisory services to SCO
- Support the SCO in the overall monitoring, steering and management of Programme delivery by advancing the intervention strategy, approaches, instruments and partnerships of the RWSSP, including the facilitation of the internal mid-term reviews of each Phase;
- Ensure adequateness, coherency and results-orientation of the annual planning (Yearly Plans of Operations) and reporting (Operational Reports) documents whilst facilitating their approval; contribute to the End-of-Project-Report;
- Participate in the regular Steering Committee Meetings by providing evidence and strategic inputs for decision-taking and corrective actions;
- Participate in major events (such as workshops and roundtables) that take place within the framework of the RWSSP and related sector endeavours in general;
- Provide upon demand thematic advice to SCO regarding rural water supply and sanitation sector development and the related Swiss portfolio of projects.
Support services to the implementing agencies regarding thematic and methodological aspects
- Provide advice upon demand, including on knowledge transfer of experiences and best practices from the region, other countries and other projects; in particular related to approaches for inclusive and universal access, operation & maintenance, renewable energies and other issues, in particular;
- Designing and accompanying pilot projects and larger campaigns to reduce non-revenue water (NRW), including the establishment of district metered areas, leak detection campaigns, training of NRW teams, development of procedures and manuals and designing investment projects;
- Conducting country-wide assessments of the potential for integration hydropower in drinking water networks pipes and feasibility study for three potential locations;
- Backstopping of a broader assessment of integrating renewable energies and energy efficiency in drinking water and wastewater systems;
- Designing capacity development measures, incl. the development of procedures and manuals for operation & maintenance of water supply systems, the integration of rural systems, investment planning, water safety plans, management of water quality, emergency planning.
- Provide support on interconnectedness and exchange with the SDC’s thematic network for water (RésEAU) and on mainstreaming gender equity and good governance in their activities;
- Support the coordination and cooperation between the implementing agency and other sector actors, in particular with other SDC or SECO funded programmes;
- Coach the local implementing agency to facilitate its establishment as independent service provider on the market in Kosovo after the end of Swiss support to the water services sector.
Management of the funds and specific expertise delivery in support of national institutions
- Administer a fund for consultancies in support to the Water Services Regulatory Authority (WSRA) on licensing, tariff setting and implementation of service standards, and the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) on managing data, reporting and compliance monitoring on drinking water quality;
- Elaborate the Terms of Reference for the short-term experts that provide the specific support services and demand to WSRA, NIPH and potentially to other relevant national sector institutions;
- Handle the short-term expertise (selection based on offers upon invitation, contracting, supervision, approval of products) called-in and ensure the dissemination of the knowledge produced.
Knowledge management, documentation and capitalisation
- Ensure that effective knowledge management and capitalisation activities take place and are retro-fed into the country’s and SDC’s thematic knowledge brokers and networks, as well as beyond;
- Lead the implementation of a documentation & dissemination strategy for different target audiences, main messages, products and channels of communications (e.g. RWSSP website for knowledge products, RWSSP promotional film / image brochure, capitalisation conference at RWSSP closure).