Assignment Information
Assignment Title: Baseline assessments for SWISH WASH in Health project (Phase 1)
Published Date 23rd September 2025
Proposal Submission Date 5th October 2025
Programme: WASH in Public Health
Cluster/Project: Strengthening Wholistic & Inclusive Systems for Health (SWISH)
Contract Type: Consultancy Contract
Duty Station: Zambia: Monze and Kazungula
Expected Place of Travel: Monze and Kazungula Districts
Contract Duration: 30 Days
ABOUT WATERAID
WaterAid is an international not-for-profit organisation, determined to make clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. We have been working with government and non-governmental partners to ensure that these essential services are available to poor and marginalized communities, especially women, persons with disabilities, and vulnerable groups.
WaterAid employs a public health and climate adaptation approach to addressing current water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) service requirements and sustaining them for the future. We work with sector partners to support and influence the behavioural, institutional and policy mechanisms for accelerating progress toward achieving safe and sustainable WASH access for the poor and marginalized communities.
Terms of Reference
PROJECT BACKGROUND
WaterAid is starting a new Global Affairs Canada funded project titled: ‘Strengthening Wholistic and Inclusive Systems for Health (SWISH) through Integration, Prevention and Women's Empowerment’. This is an ambitious seven-year project that will operate in three countries (Liberia, Pakistan and Zambia). The project aims to help address preventable diseases and deaths by supporting local governments and partners to integrate Maternal Neonatal Child Health and WASH services and practices within the health systems.
The project has a strong learning component and we have made a commitment to (1)Increase the use of gender responsive, quality MNCH services and preventive health practices by women, men and adolescents within targeted primary healthcare settings;
(2) Increase leadership and voice by women and adolescents in inclusive, gender responsive, quality MNCH services at primary health and community levels; and (3) Improve multisectoral governance and integration of WASH in health systems at all levels, including evidence-informed program planning, budgeting, monitoring, and policy development.
The project aligns to WaterAid’s global strategic aim focused on prioritising WASH across the health sector to improve public health and our cross-cutting priority to deepen and strengthen gender equality across our work. WaterAid uses several assessment tools in the health sector to determine baseline status for WASH systems and services, and hygiene and infection prevention and control (IPC) knowledge and practices.
OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSESSMENTS
The purpose of this assignment is to provide technical and operational support for the planning, deployment, data management, and analysis of the baseline assessments in selected areas of primary health care facilities and at selected households for:
1. Current WASH infrastructure and services at health facilities
2. Safety and accessibility of WASH services
3. Current hygiene knowledge and practices and gender equality and empowerment among staff at health facilities
4. Current hygiene knowledge and practices and gender equality and empowerment among health facilities clients at their households
Specifically, information obtained from these assessments will provide baseline data for project results and understanding of the state of WASH services and practices in the maternal and child wards at the health facilities. The information will be used to inform project plans and approaches for improving gender-responsive WASH services and hygiene behaviour change interventions provided at health facilities, especially for women and children.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT -PHASE
1. WASH infrastructure and services at health facilities
Engage with health facility employees (managers (in-charges), health workers (and volunteers), cleaning and admin staff, etc) to determine:
- the current availability, functionality and quality of the 5 pillars of WASH in HCF services: water supply, sanitation facilities, handwashing and bathing facilities, menstrual hygiene facilities, waste disposal and storage facilities, and cleaning facilities and supplies, including level of gender-responsiveness and climate resilience.
- the current protocols and practices for managing the 5 pillars of WASH in HCF services.
- The status of WASH and IPC training among health facility employees.
- The status of hygiene behaviour sessions delivered by health facility employees with patients and visitors.
METHODOLOGY
All baseline assessments will be conducted using WaterAid standardised tools that have been updated specifically for the SWISH project to ensure consistent data collection across the 3 countries. These harmonized tools and assessment protocols, along with reporting outlines, will be provided to the Consultant(s) for data collection, and all assessments are expected to be conducted in an ethical and safe manner for the participants.
Where necessary, the assessment tools will be translated into local languages by WaterAid staff, enumerators, or consultants during the assessments to ensure participants who do not understand English can fully engage.
The Consultant(s) will engage, train, and supervise any enumerators required for data collection, ensuring that all datasets are complete and accurate through continuous monitoring of incoming responses and quality checks.
The Consultant(s) will lead the de-identification, sharing, and cleaning of raw data, as well as conduct data analysis. For the IN-GEM tool, the Consultant(s) will develop scorecards, review survey module results, and draft dashboards using R and/or Excel.
The Consultant(s) will present the results during a sense making workshop and produce high-quality assessment reports to provide the required baseline data and information for project planning.
1. WASH infrastructure and services at health facilities consultant-
The assessment of WASH infrastructure and services includes a desk review and quantitative survey. The desk review includes gathering health data and climatological data relevant to the availability of WASH infrastructure and services at health facilities and ensuring these are climate resilient to potential environmental factors/events.
The survey will be conducted using the WASH in HCF services survey tool in mWater.
This tool is adapted from WHO’s WASH FIT with additional questions about gender equality, inclusion and climate resilience of WASH services. The Consultant(s)/WaterAid will train enumerators, test the tool in the local context, and travel to all HCFs selected for WASH infrastructure improvements to conduct this assessment in the wards/spaces used for maternal or child health services.
Participants will include health facility employees (managers (in-charges), health
workers and volunteers, cleaning and admin staff, and any others) to determine and understand the current state of the 5 pillars of WASH in HCF services: water supply, sanitation facilities, handwashing and bathing facilities, menstrual hygiene facilities, waste disposal and storage facilities, and cleaning facilities and supplies.
Data analysis will be completed using mWater and a high-quality assessment report will be produced to provide the required baseline results on WASH infrastructure and services at HCFs and information for planning WASH construction work and capacity building activities.
DELIVERABLES
The Consultant(s) is expected to produce the following:
Deliverables
1 Inception Report – Includes detailed methodology, work plan, timeline, and itemized budget.
2 Validation of the data collection, Data analysis tools
3 Data Collection in Monze and Kazungula Districts.
4 Submission of assessment source document copies to WaterAid.
5 Drafting of analysis outputs (i.e. scorecards) and assessment reports (ZERO Draft reports).
6 Provision of feedback on draft reports
7 Presentation of Results – Dissemination and sensemaking workshop for validation of findings.
8 Final Assessment Reports – Comprehensive reports with all datasets included
9 Itemized Invoice – Detailed breakdown of expenses incurred.
TIMELINE AND REPORTING
WaterAid intends to receive the services of a selected Consultant(s) for a period of 30 days commencing from the agreement signing date.
DISSEMINATION OF FINDINGS
The Consultant(s) will disseminate assessment findings with WaterAid, Local Partner, MOH/District Health and stakeholders through a written report and oral presentation/ visual materials, other. These will be shared in a dissemination meeting/ workshop, by email.
INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS
The deliverables will be approved by the Water Aid Zambia Country Program PQLA Manager and/or Head of Programmes. The SWISH Project Manager will provide overall oversight of the assignment, while the Public Health Advisor will provide technical review of the and guidance to the assignment. The consultants will receive logistical support from Water Aid Provincial Manager and various GRZ departments in the respective districts for assessments. Outlines/templates for the assessment reports will be provided by WaterAid. The consultant/firm will be expected to arrange and cover the costs of consultancy fee, fieldwork and other logistics associated with the assignment. Water Aid will provide useful project documents that will inform this exercise. Outlines/templates for the assessment reports will be provided by WaterAid.
EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
The Consultant(s) should have:
1. WASH INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES AT HEALTH FACILITIES
- Strong experience in quantitative methods and analysis, and survey administration, preferably with mWater/Kobo.
- Strong experience in training and supervising enumerators with post-secondary level of education/ knowledge/ language skills to use assessment tools.
- Previous experience working with health sector and workforce, and with diverse user/client groups including pregnant women, people with disability, older people, etc.
- Previous experience in conducting WASH FIT assessments is desired.
- Demonstrated experience/education in WASH, engineering, related field
- Advanced proficiency with written English and dissemination of assessment/ research results.
Application
Criteria S/N Details Requirement
1 Technical Proposal A comprehensive technical proposal detailing the consultant’s understanding of the assignment, proposed methodology, workplan, and timelines for delivery. Mandatory
2 Financial Proposal A clearly itemized financial offer in Zambia Kwacha, showing:
- Budget with detailed breakdown by deliverables, person-days, or hours
- Total cost, inclusive of Withholding Tax (WHT). Applicable WHT rates: 15% for local consultants. Mandatory
3 Curriculum Vitae(s) CV(s) of proposed consultant(s) with relevant academic qualifications and proven experience in WASH. Qualifications in, Health Economics, Public Health, Water Engineering, Development Studies, social work or related fields. If a team is proposed, roles and responsibilities must be clearly outlined. Mandatory
4 References At least three professional references from previous clients for similar assignments, preferably within the past five years. Mandatory
5 Proof of Registration For Consultancy Firms: Submit a copy of the organization’s Certificate of Registration, TPIN, and Valid Tax Clearance Certificate. For Individual Consultants: Submit the TPIN and Valid Tax Clearance Certificate of the lead consultant. Mandatory
6 Evidence of Previous Work
At least three samples of previous assignments related to WASH or evaluation conducted in the last five years.
*Please note that all must be itemized and include clear explanation of all fees and costs, including any outsourced or contracted work.
Deadline for application:
Interested consultants should submit a Technical and Financial proposal (maximum 20 pages) by 17:00 CAT on Sunday 5th October 2025, with CVs of the core team and sample of their work attached. Proposals should be sent electronically to zambiacareers@wateraid.org with the subject “SWISH BASELINE ASSESMENTS’’
We thank all applicants for their interest. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Contact information
Enquiries may be directed to
Email: MirriamBushama@wateraid.org
