Introduction

The Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Alliance, with its Secretariat, is led by UN-Habitat and hosted in Bonn, Germany. It leads the global movement for Water Operators’ Partnerships (WOPs). These peer-support partnerships between water and sanitation service providers work by harnessing the skills, knowledge, and goodwill within a solid utility to build the capacity and improve the performance of another utility that needs assistance or guidance. 

The project

The proposed collaboration aims to strengthen the capacity of 3 mentee operators in Ukraine through Water Operators Partnerships. It will address the current lack of progress on improving sustainable access to water supply and sanitation in three Ukrainian settlements of the City of Kriv Rih (Krivbassvodokanal - Municipal Water Utility), and the Region and City of Zaporizhzhia (Zaporizhzhia City Municipal Water Utility, Regional Zaporizhzhia Water Utility), using the WOPs approach, in the context of the war the country is going through. The project also aims to build capacity to replicate this approach in other service areas nationally and regionally through a partnership with UNICEF Ukraine Country Office (UCO). 

Eligibility of Partners

• Only public water and sanitation utilities from all regions are eligible.
• Public water and sanitation utilities can apply individually or in collaboration with:
  1. One or more other public water and sanitation utilities from all regions.
  2. One or more not-for-profit relevant organizations from all regions.
  3. In both cases, the application should be submitted by the Lead mentor utility partner with which the Agreement of Cooperation will be signed.
• Most personnel involved in the project must be staff members of the applicant utility. However, the applicant organization may contract consultants, especially Ukrainian nationals, for specific tasks upon justification.
• Candidates must comply with the GWOPA Code-of-Conduct and Guiding Principles, particularly the not-for-profit principle, ensuring the involvement of the Lead partner on a non-commercial basis.
• Candidates must have a proven track record of involvement in similar cooperation projects with peers for capacity building (WOP-type projects).
• Candidates must have a proven track record of good performance according to international norms and standards of the water and sanitation sector.
• Candidates must have in-depth knowledge and practice of EU water and sanitation sector norms and standards, especially the EU directives for drinking water and sanitation services.
• Previous experience in collaboration with Ukrainian utilities is an added advantage.

Submission Requirements and Guidelines 

Expressions of Interest must be emailed to unhabitat.ubss.eoi@un.org  with the reference “UKRAINE WOPs EOI” in the subject of your email, with a copy to anne.bousquet@un.org 

Failure to indicate the reference may result in your proposal not being considered. 

Contact Information 

Should you require further clarification on the call, please contact Anne Bousquet, Programme Management Officer, Urban Basic Services Section, UN-Habitat, anne.bousquet@un.org   

Note: Applicants should refer to the complete requirements of the call in the Anne 1: Full call package.