Consultant: Landscape and Opportunities Analysis for Water Resource Management
Oct 10, 2018
|
Mercy Corps
View Original
Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In conflict, 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; now, and for the future.
Main Objective:
The goal of this consultancy is to provide strategic direction for how Mercy Corps approaches water security as part of our existing program and fundraising priorities in the coming years. This will include clarifying our existing strengths, identifying funding streams and partnerships that can help us capitalize on these strengths and build this portfolio. The focus will be on longer-term funding streams for non-emergency contexts, covering all aspects of water security (WASH, productive water use, and water resource management).
Background:
Mercy Corps recognizes that in the fragile places we work, water insecurity is a significant and often growing challenge to the achievement of humanitarian and development goals. Reliable access to safe water also represents a core resilience capacity and long term, sustainable solutions to water management are required for household, community and productive uses if communities are to cope with and adapt to environmental and social shocks and stresses. The relationship between fragility and water are complex, but recent work by the World Bank and others has helped clarify that a failure to adequately address water issues can aggravate conflict, fragility makes it harder to address water issues, and the compounding nature of water and conflict can give rise to a vicious cycle. This all makes water security a significant factor in almost all places Mercy Corps operates.
Mercy Corps’ existing portfolio of water-related programming covers a wide spectrum of interventions, including emergency water supply, health and sanitation for refugees and IDPs, ongoing community WASH, water infrastructure development, and watershed management. Despite the existence of a large portfolio, Mercy Corps has never had a unified approach to water security, or a clear business development and fundraising strategy.
Consultant Activities:
- Desk review of internal documents and program database.
- KIIs within key internal stakeholders in HQ and field positions
- Desk review of existing funding streams in the US and Europe
- Interviews with leading external stakeholders, including USAID Water team, and European donor leads where possible
- Desk review of partner organizations and interviews with key partners.
Consultant Deliverables:
The Consultant produce:
- A rapid analysis of our existing portfolio of water related activities, covering WASH and broader water resource management (updating similar analysis completed in 2013).
- Overview of major global development funding streams - institutional and foundation donors - focused on WASH and water resource management, and an analysis of best opportunities for Mercy Corps.
- Summary of changes occurring at USAID related to the Water Center of Excellence and anticipated business opportunities as well as identification of any ongoing engagement but the US Department of State and identification of USG key stakeholders to engage going forward.
- Analysis of partnership opportunities, including an overview of leading 5-10 technical water-focused NGOs covering their program portfolio, main funding channels, and reputation.
- An outline for a strategy document outlining Mercy Corps’ approach to water security / water resource management