Project/Consultancy Title: Individual Consultant for Modifying Cement Ring Production Process

Project Location(s): Sidrap or Wajo District – South Sulawesi

Background

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.

Indonesia has made considerable progress in the water supply and sanitation sector over the past twenty years. As part of its “Vision 2045,” Indonesia seeks to enhance water security and achieve SDG targets related to access to safe water and sanitation for all, with the following interim mid-term development targets by 2024: 100 percent access to improved water supply system, including 15 percent access to safely managed drinking water supply services; 10 million new water connections; 90 percent access to improved sanitation services, including 15 percent access to safely managed sanitation; 100 percent open defecation free; 20 percent solid waste reduced at source, and 80 percent solid waste handled.

Given the need for massive investment in WASH infrastructure and broad changes in individual and collective behaviors to achieve the countries targets by 2024, the involvement of communities, households, and the private sector will be pivotal at every stage. Closing the financing gap will require diverse resource investments, reducing costs, increasing tariff, taxes, and transfers, and exploring alternative financing tools. Market-based solutions that can connect unserved and underserved populations to WASH products and services may help close this financing gap.

Purpose / Project Description

The overall goal of USAID IUWASH Pasar is to catalyze and grow local markets for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) products and services in Indonesia’s vulnerable urban areas. To achieve the overall goal, the Project will focus on the following three main objectives:

• Improve business environment to foster greater private sector contribution for WASH services and products.
• Enhance viability of WASH businesses and increase availability of affordable, desirable WASH products and services to underserved market segments.
• Improved key WASH behaviors for increased demand with correct and consistent use of WASH products and services.

Market assessment result show that cement ring septic tank producers are one of the important market players in providing access to septic tanks for households, especially in Sidrap and Wajo Districts. However, ‘septic tanks’ using cement rings do not meet the main standard septic tank requirements specifically in terms of water-tightness, so intervention efforts are needed to make improvements to the production and installation techniques carried out by cement ring septic tank producers.

Assignment Objective

The IUWASH Pasar project wants to hire individual consultants who are needed to make modifications to the production process of cement ring ‘septic tank’ producers so that they are at-par with the type that has been promoted by the government. This improvement effort was carried out by first conducting assessment of the existing cement ring septic tank produced by local artisans. Improvement designs will be proposed and then tested in the field. The final modification proposal will be included in the SOP and training module as an effort to promote the results of the modification to cement ring septic tank manufacturers in the target area.

Scope of Work

1. Modify existing cement ring septic tank product gap:
   1. Assess current cement ring production to identify gaps in meeting standard
   2. Develop cement ring production modification and test to the gap identified from assessment
   3. Identify environmental risks that may arise from the proposed design and develop monitoring mechanisms to mitigate them.
   4. Identify standards/regulations and carry out the processes necessary to obtain approval for the cement ring septic tank modification design from the relevant institution.
2. Develop delivery-to-market model and cost structure (incl. mechanism and incentive of demand activators) of modified cement ring production
3. Develop technical manual and delivery model (SOP) of modified cement ring production
4. Promote modification to potential cement ring entrepreneurs
   1. Develop training modules and participate as resource persons at local cement ring artisans training on modified cement ring production that will be carried out by the IUWASH Pasar regional team as an activity attached to this consultant assignment
   2. Establish partnership between modified cement ring entrepreneurs with demand activators
5. Establish demand activation channel through trained cadres as demand activator agents
   1. Make suggestion on product promotion materials of modified cement ring product developed by Objective-2
   2. Develop training modules and participate as resource persons at cadres – demand activators training (collaborate with Objective-2) on promotion and selling skills of modified cement ring product that will be carried out by the IUWASH Pasar regional team as an activity attached to this consultant assignment
6. Set up monitoring mechanism and conduct customers survey to get market feedback from market penetration effort of cement ring septic tank
7. Ensure coordination and communication with the regional IUWASH market team under the coordination of the IUWASH Pasar Objective Leads-2 and WASH Product Development Advisor

Consultant Deliverables

The consultant will be responsible for the following Tasks with deliverables & outputs:

1. Modify existing cement ring septic tank product gap

• Assessment protocol and report on gaps of current cement ring production in meeting standard
• Technical guideline on cement ring production modification
• Product test protocol and report (including environmental risk assessment)
• Modified cement ring septic tank registration/ approval

2. Develop technical manual and delivery model of modified cement ring production

• Standard Operating Procedure (SOP – level/1) of modified cement ring production
• Modified cement ring market plan

3. Promote modification to potential cement ring entrepreneurs/ artisans

• Training modules
• Participation as resource persons at cement ring artisans training
• Partnership between modified cement ring entrepreneurs with demand activators established

4. Establish demand activation channel through trained cadres as demand activator agents

• Product promotion materials of modified cement ring product (support BO-2 Lead)
• Training modules
• Participation as resource persons at cadres – demand activators training (collaborate with BO-2) on promotion and selling skills

5. Set up monitoring mechanism and conduct customers survey to get market feedback

• Monitoring mechanism guideline and forms
• Survey questionnaire
• Survey protocol
• Survey report

The Consultant Working Period

The timeframe of this consultancy will effectively start from June to September, 2024 with a maximum of 40 (forty) working days. These 40 working days will be allocated for activities in achieving the above listed deliverables.

The Consultant Fee and Payment Mechanism

Interested consultants are expected to submit fee offers for the 40 working day period from June 10 to September 30 2024. Payment will be delivered twice made based on the achievement of each deliverable as evidenced by the acceptance of outputs requested (see deliverables above) with the following arrangement:

• Payment-1: deliverables for Task #1, 2
• Payment-2: deliverables for Task #3, 4 and 5

Travel Allocation

The consultant will be based in Jakarta. The consultant must be willing to travel for a minimum of 15 days to project target location in Sidrap or Wajo District. Travel costs will be provided allocated separately by IUWASH Pasar.

Reporting and Work Arrangement

The consultant will report to the PIC assigned for this consultancy, WASH Product Development Advisor. The Consultants will work very closely with Objective-2 Lead and Objective-3 Lead, and regional team of IUWASH Pasar East Java.

Required Experience and Skills

• Bachelor degree holder in sanitation engineering subject or any relevant degree with a minimum of 5 (five) years of experience in developing on-site sanitation technical or product options.
• Familiar with any relevant government or industry standard for septic tank product.
• More than 5 (five) years of experience in providing technical assistance and delivering capacity building to micro or small sanitation entrepreneurs specifically on product development and production process.
• Familiar with the concept of business process/market delivery mechanism of on-site sanitation product.
• Having good communication, presentation, organizational and interpersonal skills including problem-solving skills, being proactive and taking initiative.
• Proficiency in using MS word, Excel, PowerPoint as needed.

How to Apply

Prospective candidates shall email their proposal including price offered and Curriculum Vitae to procurement@id.mercycorps.org before May 24^th , 2024. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding and Ethics

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our stakeholders and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.