WASH accounts National Consultant Sierra Leone, 2023

Terms of reference for the WASH accounts national consultant Sierra Leone, 2023

Contract duration: Three (3) Months; Mid-January - Mid-April 2023 (possible for extension based on performance)

Contract type: Local Consultant (Agreement for the Performance of Work (APW)

The consultant shall work under the overall guidance of the Director, Directorate of Environmental Health and Sanitation, WASH Program Manager and technical supervision of WHO – Emergency Preparedness and Response Cluster – Public Health and Environment Unity.

The WASH accounts national consultant plays an important role in developing WASH accounts by supporting processes, coordinating, and contributing to main outputs and is a key member of the WASH accounts team.

Background on WASH accounts

Adequate funding and effective financing for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are essential to deliver and sustain services, and to allow countries to make progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 and national WASH targets. However, there are substantial gaps in our understanding and tracking of financial flows in the WASH sector. Over the past decade and experienced from implementing the GLAAS survey in Sierra Leone, it had been very difficult to track financial flows allocated to the WASH sector.

The TrackFin methodology was developed to support the collection and mapping of WASH financial flows, in a comprehensive and comparable manner. The resulting outputs are called WASH accounts which aim to answer four key questions:

1. What is the total expenditure in the WASH sector?

2. What are funds being spent on?

3. Who pays for WASH services and how much do they pay?

4. Who are the main WASH service providers and how much are they spending?

Countries generally collect data covering two to three years of WASH expenditure data in a single WASH account cycle from all available sources (including government, donors, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs), service providers, financial institutions and household expenditure surveys) and covering all cost types (including capital investment, operations and maintenance, and support costs). To develop WASH accounts, the WASH accounts focal point and team use the WASH Accounts Production Tool (WAPT), a software tool that supports the mapping of expenditure data and automates production of standard WASH accounts indicators and tables.

WASH accounts development follows the five steps outlined below. Terms of reference WASH accounts consultant

1. Mobilize support: This includes mobilizing political support, setting up the institutional arrangements to develop WASH accounts and identifying required financial resources.

2. Plan and prepare for implementation: This include identifying data requirements and data sources and developing the WASH accounts implementation plan.

3. Collect and prepare data: This includes completing modules 1, 2 and 3 of the WAPT and documenting data gaps and opportunities to improve data in future WASH accounts.

4. Map data and finalize WASH accounts: This includes uploading all data and mapping expenditures in modules 4 and 5 of the WAPT, exporting standard outputs in module 6, the finalization and validation of a WASH accounts highlight and other outputs as relevant.

5. Disseminate findings and plan for the next WASH accounts cycle: This includes presenting results to key policy- and decision-makers and the WASH sector and reflecting on lessons learned.

The government sets up institutional arrangements to develop WASH accounts. As can be seen in the diagram of suggested institutional arrangements, the WASH accounts consultant is a core member of the WASH accounts team and is integral to the development of WASH accounts. [Note: Update the graphic with the country’s institutional arrangements if they differ from the diagram below.]

The specific objectives of establishing the WASH account in Sierra Leone are as follows:

• To track financial flows in the WASH sector

• To collate the expenditure expended within the WASH sector by Government, donors, INGOs, CBOs, and private sector

• To identify what WASH services are being paid for and who is paying for what WASH services

• To mobilize WASH stakeholders for support towards WASH account process

• To develop WASH account using the WHO trackFin methodology

Terms of reference WASH accounts consultant

Role of the WASH accounts national consultant

• Support the WASH accounts development process following the optimized approach at an operational level from inception to generation of final WASH accounts and standard outputs using the WAPT

• Prepare and present detail inception report during high-level meetings and Steering committee platforms to WASH partners and key stakeholders

• Organize and facilitate meetings and workshops as requested

• Liaise with the national health accounts focal point at country level

• Provide regular progress update to Ministry of Health and Sanitation, WHO, and other MDAs on monthly basis.

• Collect data from data sources per the data collection plan and support the identification of data gaps and actions to address the gaps

• Complete the WAPT exercises and attend a WAPT training session with WHO

• Clean and prepare data for import to the WAPT

• Work in the WAPT to set up studies, import data, map all expenditure rows, and then review and update per inputs from WASH accounts team, data sources and WHO

• Finalize WASH accounts (one PTstudies for each financial year of the cycle

• Finalize the WASH accounts implementation summary document and WAPT module 6.6

• Develop presentations of data and results and other WASH accounts products, and assist in ensuring validation by relevant groups

• Contribute to (or lead) analyses based on WASH account results and cross-analyses with other relevant WASH data.

• Complete other tasks related to disseminating WASH accounts results and promoting the use of WASH accounts by national decision-makers as determined by the WASH accounts focal point

• Submit final outputs to the Director, Directorate of Environmental Health and Sanitation under the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, WHO, and SHF for approval

Expected outputs

1. Final WASH accounts implementation plan: The WASH accounts implementation plan is developed during Step 2 of the WASH accounts process. (Detailed guidance on what should be included in the implementation plan as well as templates for the data collection plan, the budget, and the activity plan and timeline are available here.)

2. Data on WASH financial flows collected per data collection plan.

3. All data reviewed, cleaned and prepared for import into the WAPT according to guidelines and requirements available here.

4. Documentation of data availability, data gaps, estimation methods, lessons learned and plans for data improvements: Developing WASH accounts is an iterative process. Documenting information is important for improving WASH accounts data and processes in future cycles.

Terms of reference WASH accounts consultant

5. Final WASH accounts: The final PTstudy files for each year of the WASH accounts cycle includes expenditure data mapped to TrackFin classifications, WASH accounts cross tables and standard outputs and metadata, and study review information.

6. Final WASH accounts implementation summary: A standard template and guidance is provided for this documentation of process challenges, solutions and lessons learned.

7. Final WASH accounts highlight: The WASH accounts highlight uses a standard template and is generated using the WAPT data.

8. Slide set for WASH accounts results in dissemination meetings: This slide set will be used to share the key findings from the WASH accounts with policy- and decision-makers.

9. [Other analyses determined by the country during the implementation workshop such as responses to key policy questions, recommendations on application of WASH accounts results, cross-analysis with data outside of the WASH accounts, and other products determined by the country such as policy briefs.]

Specific responsibilities and activities of the WASH accounts national consultant

Note: The level of responsibility for the WASH accounts national consultant will be adapted to the country’s needs and situation (e.g. change from ‘support’ or ‘contribute to’ to ‘undertake’ or ‘lead’).

During step 2 – Plan and prepare for implementation

• Support the WASH accounts team and WASH accounts working group including meeting logistics.

• With the WASH accounts team, contribute to planning and facilitation of a workshop for high-level planning and decisions for developing national WASH accounts to define scope and policy questions, identify data/data sources/specific contacts, map service provision arrangements and financial flows and develop a timeline and budget.

• With the WASH accounts team, develop the WASH accounts implementation plan, consulting with decision-makers and stakeholders as required.

• Support technical review of the WASH accounts implementation plan by WHO.

• Support finalization of the WASH accounts implementation per country requirements (e.g. by cross-sector stakeholders and/or the steering committee and/or the working group) and finalization of the inception report. Output 1. Final WASH accounts implementation plan.

During step 3 – Collect and prepare data

• Participate in a WAPT training workshop 3 and become skilled is using the WAPT.

• Contribute to WASH accounts team’s preparations for data collection (completion of Modules 1, 2, 3 in the WAPT, decision on data formats, questionnaires generated, decision on level of disaggregation).

• Help plan a half-day meeting with data providers to promote engagement and provision of data and demonstrate how to complete questionnaires.

• Support data collection activities by the WASH accounts team, provide support to data providers with completion of questionnaires, monitor progress against data collection plan. Output 2. Data on WASH financial flows collected per data collection plan.

Terms of reference WASH accounts consultant

• Support review of datasets and questionnaires, exchanges with data providers, and data preparation and formatting. Output 3. All data reviewed, cleaned and prepared for import into the WAPT.

• With the WASH accounts team, document information on data, lessons learned and plans for improving data. Output 4. Documentation of data availability, data gaps, estimation methods, lessons learned and plans for data improvements.

During step 4 – Map data and finalize WASH accounts, analyses and products

• Complete WAPT modules 4, 5, and 6 (import all data, map all expenditures) and participate in WAPT working meeting/workshop on mapping and analysis as relevant.

• Update PT study(ies) including filling data gaps based on inputs from technical review 2

• Finalize all WASH accounts PT studies based on inputs from technical review 3, and support generation of WASH accounts highlight.

• Assist in ensuring validation of the final WASH accounts and the WASH accounts highlighted by the government. Output 5. Final WASH accounts; Output 7. Final WASH accounts highlight.

• Finalize the WASH accounts implementation summary. Output 6. WASH accounts implementation summary.

• Undertake analyses (e.g. answering key policy questions, developing 'recommendations' for the application of WASH accounts results, cross-analysis with other data outside the WASH accounts such as coverage rates, progress, national targets, costed plans, and international commitments); develop other products as determined by the country (e.g. policy briefs, summary report). Output 9. Other WASH accounts analyses and products

NOTE: an estimated 25% of consultant days should be dedicated to developing final products including the presentation of findings and any additional analyses.

During step 5 – Disseminate findings and plan for the next WASH accounts cycle

• Support development by the WASH accounts team of slides and documents for dissemination. Output 8. Slide set for WASH accounts results in dissemination meetings.

• With the WASH accounts team, assist in planning a WASH accounts dissemination meeting that includes a discussion of actions by decision-makers in response to the WASH accounts data.

• Support documentation of plans for the next WASH accounts cycle.

Expected Outcomes / Impacts

• Government and stakeholders including donors and partners use WASH account data.

• Informed policies, decisions, programmes, and effective planning to increase access to WASH services.

• Strengthening national systems for collecting and analyzing WASH financial data, and institutionalizing the WASH accounts process

Terms of reference WASH accounts consultant

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