Development Of Management Framework for Handwashing Facilities in Healthcare Facilities and Public Places tender at Water for People (WFP)

1. Introduction

Water For People is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) that works with people and partners to develop innovative and long-lasting solutions to the water, sanitation, and hygiene problems globally. The organization strives to continually improve, experiment with promising new ideas, and leverage resources to multiply its impact. Water For People has secured funds from USAID to finance the WASH Response to Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) Outbreak Project. The MVD project will operate in nine districts: Gasabo, Kicukiro, Nyarugenge, Kayonza, Nyagatare, Gatsibo, Nyanza, Kamonyi, and Ngororero. The overall goal of this project is to contribute to national efforts to prevent the transmission of MVD through enhanced WASH services in health care facilities and public places. This will be achieved through specific objectives as follows:

• Improve WASH services in health facilities and public places through the construction and/or repair of existing WASH facilities.
• Promote handwashing practices in health facilities and public places through social and behavior change (SBC) strategies.
• Support the development of a sustainable management framework for WASH facilities in health facilities and public places.

2. Background and Context

Handwashing is recognized as a cornerstone of public health, particularly in mitigating the spread of infectious diseases in healthcare and high-traffic public settings. However, the sustainability and effectiveness of handwashing facilities depend on proper management, regular maintenance, and accessibility. In Rwanda, the responsibility for managing these facilities typically falls to the owning entities, a model that has revealed persistent challenges such as limited operational resources, inadequate maintenance, and insufficient oversight.

To address these gaps, Water For People, through the Isoko y’Ubuzima project, seeks to engage a qualified individual consultant to develop a comprehensive management framework for handwashing facilities. This includes the formulation of tailored operational guidelines, practical monitoring checklists for use by local authorities and facility managers, and capacity-building initiatives to support long-term sustainability.

The approved framework will be disseminated at the national level to promote understanding, encourage adoption, and ensure alignment with national hygiene and IPC standards. Key stakeholders in this process include the Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC), Ministry of Infrastructure (MININFRA), Ministry of Health (MoH), Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), and the Water and Sanitation Corporation (WASAC).

1.  Objectives of the consultancy:

The overall objective of the consultancy is to develop a sustainable management framework for WASH facilities in healthcare facilities and public places.

The specific objectives of this consultancy are to:

• Develop a practical and sustainable management framework for handwashing facilities in healthcare facilities and public places aligned with hygiene behavior change goals and infection prevention and control (IPC) standards.
• Develop detailed guidelines for the operation, maintenance, and monitoring of handwashing facilities,
• Develop evidence-based, practical, and adaptable monitoring checklists
• Train facility owners on approved tools for the sustainability of the handwashing facilities.
• Facilitate the dissemination of the approved management framework and guidelines at the national level to foster understanding and encourage implementation.

4. Scope of Work:

The consultant will be responsible for undertaking the following tasks to develop a sustainable management framework for WASH facilities in healthcare and public places:

• Conduct a comprehensive desk review of existing national and international guidelines, standards, policies, and best practices related to sustainable management of handwashing facilities.
• Assess the current management mechanisms of handwashing facilities in public places and healthcare facilities across the nine districts.
• Identify challenges and gaps in the existing management systems related to sustained functionality, maintenance, accessibility, resource allocation for operation & maintenance, and user behavior.
• Organize workshops and meetings to gather input from stakeholders, including healthcare workers, facility managers, public places managers, and users.
• Develop a comprehensive management framework defining roles and responsibilities, maintenance, financial sustainability planning and monitoring checklists.
• Develop detailed guidelines for regular cleaning, maintenance, and waste management.
• Develop monitoring and evaluation tools including indicators, reporting mechanisms, and data collection procedures.
• Train facility owners and local authorities on the use of the framework and tools.
• Disseminate the framework at the national level to relevant stakeholders

5. Deliverables indicators and targets

The consultant will deliver:

• Inception report including the assessment on current management mechanisms & existing data, a methodology to be used, and work plan. The inception report must be submitted one week after signing the contract and be validated by the client and stakeholders before moving to the next stage.
• Draft management framework, draft guidelines that include the results of the public consultation and disclosure process, monitoring tools, training modules for beneficiaries, and it must be submitted three weeks after the inception report is validated.
• A final report that contains approved management framework and guidelines documents, approved monitoring tools, training and dissemination reports two weeks after approval of the draft report.

Note: All reports must be submitted in an electronic file. The report must include a cover page, the main document, and all annexes.

6. Reporting and supervision

The consultant will be reporting to the Project Manager.

7. Bid document

7.1 Technical proposal

Consultant’s profile

The consultant must have an advanced degree in Business Administration, Public Health, Environmental Health, Civil Engineering, Water and Environmental Engineering, or related field; Proven experience in WASH program implementation and management; Experience in developing management frameworks and training materials; Strong understanding of the Rwandan health system and public infrastructure and excellent communication and facilitation skills with at least two proven good completion of similar experiences.

The consultant will submit academic certificate(s), a curriculum Vitae detailing his/her academic qualifications, work experience related to the assignment with proven certificate(s), understanding of the terms of reference, proposed methodology, and proposed work plan for the assignment.

Note that this assignment is planned to be completed in 45 calendar days from the contract signing date.

7.2 Financial proposal

The consultant will submit a separate detailed financial bid detailing costs in man-days. All costs must be all taxes inclusive and must be in Rwandan Francs.

Note that Water For People will cover all costs related to allowances to participants in meetings/workshops.

8. Evaluation Criteria:

Stage I: Technical evaluation

• Profile of the consultant (Academic qualification, work-related experience): 40%
• Understanding of the assignment and relevance of the proposed methodology: 50%
• Presentation of the work plan of all the activities: 10%

Stage II: Financial evaluation

Following the technical evaluation, only bidders who score 80% or higher will advance to the financial evaluation stage. The bidder must attain a minimum score of 80% for each of the technical evaluation marks scoring sections: Profile of the consultant; Understanding of the assignment and relevance of the proposed methodology; and Presentation of the work plan of all the activities.

At this stage, financial proposals will be assessed, and the bidder with the lowest price will be selected. Financial proposals must be password-protected, and passwords will only be requested from bidders who qualify for the financial evaluation.

Note: Any arithmetic error in the financial proposal will result in an automatic disqualification.

The selected bidder will be contractually required to comply with Water For People’s Vendor Code of Conduct Water For People Vendor Code of Conduct 2022.pdf and will be required to deliver a Conflict-of-Interest Certificate prior to execution of the contract. The Conflict-of-Interest Certificate requires the disclosure of any potential or actual conflicts of interest with Water For People employees or their relatives including past, current or proposed business transactions, employment or offers of employment, or certain gifts or entertainment. Water For People will evaluate any disclosures of conflicts of interest; if Water For People determines it cannot waive or mitigate the conflict of interest it will result in the disqualification of the selected proposer.

9. COPYRIGHTS

 Copyright of all material on assignment will be retained by Water For People in Rwanda.

RIGHTS RESERVED

Water For People reserves the right to cancel the entire procurement process without incurring any liability whatsoever.

 Water For People reserves the right to amend any segment of the RFP prior to the announcement of selected candidates. 

Water For People also reserves the right to remove one or more of the services from consideration for this contract should the evaluation show that it is in WFP’s best interest to do so.

Water For People also may, at its discretion, issue a separate contract for any service or groups of services included in this RFP. Water For People may negotiate a compensation package and additional provisions to the contract awarded under this RFP.

Water For People reserves the right to debrief the applicants after the completion of the process due to the expected high volume of applications to avoid the compromise of the process.

10. How to apply

If you feel qualified and interested in the assignment, please send your documents (including the technical and financial proposals as two separate documents) to: rwprocurement@waterforpeople.org no later than September 07, 2025 with the following subject: “Consultancy Services for the development of management framework and guidelines for handwashing facilities in health care facilities and public places”. Hard copies and late submissions shall be rejected.

Note: Water For People will host an open session for all interested consultants to provide detailed clarification on the assignment and to respond to any questions regarding this consultancy. The session will be held at the Water For People office on September 1, 2025, at 3:00 p.m.

Done at Kigali, on August 20, 2025.

Eugene Dusingizumuremyi