Provision to contract a local institute to conduct a situation analysis of the water quality testing laboratories in Sri Lanka as per the attached TOR.
OBJECTIVES AND PURPOSE
The overall objective of this situation analysis is to assess the current situation of government owned water quality laboratories at multiple levels (National, Provincial and District Levels) from the health, water supply and sanitation, and environmental sectors and provide needed assistance on quality improvement of the laboratory facilities/service to be able to team up with the health sector on early detection of any possible outbreak or epidemic and strengthening policy framework.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES • To map laboratory services, facilities, stakeholders (including the institutional mandate), accreditation status, operational locations, waste/wastewater management practices, and water quality parameters, at different levels to understand service gaps and design the data sharing infrastructure/platform. • To conduct training needs assessment and human resource gap analysis of laboratory technicians/staff at different levels of the water, environment, and health sectors to revise training curricula/manuals. • To provide recommendations to enhance the technical knowledge of the laboratory team as well as the extended team on the functions of the laboratory, including use and basic maintenance of equipment, sampling, testing, reporting, data generation, and dissemination for early detection and warning. • To assess the current practices in disseminating laboratory results and engagement with the other sectors, and perceived and actual barriers and opportunities in using a common digital platform for result sharing. • To provide technical and financial recommendations for the national-level water quality monitoring framework and improvement of the relevant strengthening policy framework in line with international best practices developed for ensuring water quality i.e, regulation of water services etc. (https://www.wareg.org/articles/8-water-qualityregulation/ this link is only for your reference) The Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health and Mass Medea will implement this project in terms of supervision, monitoring and providing technical guidance and in close coordination with other relevant government partners, including the Ministry of Environment, Central Environmental Authority, Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, National Water Supply & Drainage Board, National Department of Community Water Supply, Ministry of Education, Local Authorities, UN agencies (WHO, UNICEF, FAO), and relevant local and international organizations.
Sustainable Procurement practices integrate requirements, specifications, and criteria that are compatible and in favour of the protection of the environment, the social progress and in support of economic development. These practices seek resource efficiency, improve the quality of products and services, and ultimately optimize costs (HLCM Procurement Network). Sustainable Procurement is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (goals 12 and 12.7), and it also contributes to the achievement of all SDGs. This procurement opportunity is considered sustainable as it incorporates at least three sustainability considerations, in accordance with the HLCM Procurement Network's Sustainable Procurement Working Group - Sustainability Indicators Framework. To learn more about which considerations are included in this procurement opportunity, please see below for a specific description. For more information, contact the procurement official or author of this procurement opportunity.
The tender contains sustainability considerations addressing gender equality and women's empowerment.
Examples:
Gender mainstreaming, targeted employment of women, promotion of women-owned businesses.
The tender contains sustainability considerations promoting sustainability through the entire supply chain.
Examples:
Sustainability requirements for tier 2 suppliers, identification and approval of subcontractors.
This indicator summarizes sustainability considerations that relate to inclusion of a person with disability.
Examples:
Organizational policy on disability inclusion, recruiting people with disabilities, accessible premises, disability-inclusive supply chains, and manufacturing accessible products.
The tender contains sustainability considerations promoting the sustainable use of resources.
Examples:
Energy-saving measures, recycling, take-back programmes and responsible end-of-life management