For development of a Sustainable Social Entrepreneur Model to deliver Safe drinking water with special focus on poor and vulnerable people at their courtyard Through Small-Scale Piped Water Systems.

Pre-BID meeting on 7 April 2026 

Time- 02.30 PM (Bangladesh time)

https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/38687078090981?p=d2udQFlf1qrLeYTtvT

Meeting ID: 386 870 780 909 81 Passcode: em7bm6mc

 

====================

Title

Development of a Sustainable Social Entrepreneur Model to deliver Safe drinking water with special focus on poor and vulnerable people at their courtyard Through Small-Scale Piped Water Systems in Bhola’s Climate-Vulnerable Small Islands areas implemented by DoE

Purpose

The purpose of this assignment is to engage a consultancy agency/private entity/company to develop a viable business model that ensures the safe, reliable, full functional and sustainable delivery of climate-resilient drinking water services to poor and climate-vulnerable rural communities in coastal belt areas. The model will outline sustainable mechanisms for the operation and maintenance of small-scale piped water supply systems, enabling these communities to consistently access safe water for drinking purposes.

Location

Mujibnagar Union, Charfession Upazila, Bhola under DoE Small Island Project area (CR)- sustainable management of 16 mini piped water system serving 1,600 climate vulnerable Households in the project areas 

Estimated Duration

8 months for community mobilization and developing a business model for sustainable operation and maintenance, starting after signing contract

Reporting to Technical Supervisor of this assignment

WASH Specialist, WASH Section, UNICEF

 

1. Background

Bangladesh has achieved substantial progress in expanding access to improved water infrastructure over the past four decades. This includes the development of urban piped water systems, their extension into small towns, and the installation of handpumps on shallow and deep groundwater aquifers, as well as technologies such as Pond Sand Filters (PSF), Iron Removal Plants (IRP), and Arsenic and Iron Removal Plants (AIRP). By the late 2000s, the country reached near-universal access (99%)[1]  to improved water sources. However, this aggregate figure masks persistent challenges in ensuring drinking water security, particularly for the poorest and most climate-vulnerable rural communities.

 

Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for safely managed drinking water in rural Bangladesh requires new approaches that address multiple, overlapping risks—water quality deterioration, pollution, climate vulnerability, declining groundwater levels, and frequent infrastructure malfunctions, especially in multi-user systems.

Recent studies have quantified an exponential growth of private household electric pumps on shallow tube-wells, thereby more than doubling the number since the last estimates in 2006. This scale of infrastructure growth demonstrates the significant role of private capital, estimated to represent over one third of the total rural sector financial flows, as shown in forthcoming research by Fischer et al and in the national reporting of sector expenditure to the Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-water[2]. The significant expenditure by households continues to equalize access rates on and in premises across the country but is missing an opportunity to leverage those funding resources towards collective and multi-user systems where public oversight could improve safety, reliability and sustainability. This context presents an opportunity to attract non-traditional finance in new ways towards reliable and safe technologies managed under service models accountable to dynamic monitoring systems[3].     

Despite progress, several challenges remain:

• Complex social–ecological context: Bangladesh is one of the most challenging environments worldwide for delivering safe and reliable water services to a population of 170 million including approximately 116 million rural households (BBS Census report 2022). Although improved access appears high, national estimates of safely managed rural drinking water—considering functionality, proximity to the premises, and freedom from E. coli and arsenic—drop sharply from 99% to 39.3% (BBS–UNICEF, MICS Preliminary Report, 2025).
• Climate vulnerability in coastal regions: Approximately 20 million Bangladeshis live in the coastal belt, where climate-related hazards such as cyclones, floods, storm surges, and sea-level rise severely affect drinking water availability. Public WASH systems in these areas face high malfunction rates due to salinity intrusion and repeated storm damage. Salinity poses serious health risks, particularly for pregnant women, yet is not routinely monitored in national water quality assessments[4].
• Uncertain water quality: Water quality in both public and private systems remains inconsistent due to insufficient testing frequency and scale. A significant proportion of water points are contaminated with E. coli or arsenic (MICS 2025). Bangladesh continues to struggle with widespread natural arsenic contamination in shallow aquifers, and no comprehensive national testing of tubewells has been conducted since the early 2000s—despite a doubling in total installations.
• Infrastructure functionality gaps: Although the density of water points largely meets policy targets, operation and maintenance (O&M) challenges persist. On average, 13% of public water infrastructure is non-functional, with technology-specific non-functionality rates of 24% for rainwater harvesting systems, 47% for PSFs, 28% for ring wells, and 10% for handpumps[5].

The transition from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the SDGs has shifted emphasis from simply providing infrastructure to ensuring risk-informed, safe, and reliable drinking water services. This shift calls for new service delivery models and governance approaches that strengthen risk management and water quality assurance.

The momentum toward safely managed drinking water in rural Bangladesh presents an opportunity to design innovative enterprise models that blend public and private financing, enhance governance adaptability, and reduce risks to water quality and service reliability.

Given the rapid expansion of private on-premises water demand—particularly small-scale piped systems—there is an increasing need to ensure sustainable, safe, and reliable service provision for drinking, hygiene, and domestic uses. However, most private-sector investments remain outside collective governance and regulatory oversight, challenging the long-term sustainability and equity of water services.

In this context, UNICEF seeks to engage a consultancy agency/firm to develop a sustainable business model for climate-resilient mini-piped water systems in Mujibnagar Union, Charfession Upazila, Bhola, under the Department of Environment (DoE)’s Small Island Project-climate resilient Project. The assignment focuses on the sustainable management of 16 mini piped water systems serving approximately 1,600 climate-vulnerable households. The business model will strengthen institutional coordination, improve information systems, and ensure financial sustainability through innovative, performance-based service delivery mechanisms—ensuring no one is left behind.

 

1. Objectives, Purpose, and Expected Results

The purpose of this assignment is to engage a qualified consultancy agency/firm to develop a viable, climate-resilient, and financially sustainable business model for the safe, reliable, fully functional and equitable operation of 16 mini-piped water supply systems serving approximately 1,600 climate vulnerable households in Mujibnagar Union, Charfession Upazila, Bhola.

The business model shall integrate public, private, and community roles to ensure year-round access to safely managed drinking water, strengthen institutional coordination, improve monitoring systems, and establish accountability mechanisms that protect the rights of underserved households living in highly climate-stressed small island environments.

 

The overall objective of the assignment is to design a sustainable, climate-resilient, and pro-poor water service delivery model that ensures reliable access to safe drinking water for climate-vulnerable communities through improved operation, maintenance, governance, and financial systems for small-scale piped water infrastructure.

The consultancy is expected to achieve the following specific objectives:

1. Develop a business model for the operation and maintenance of mini-piped water systems in for rural areas in Bangladesh.
2. Design a pro-poor, cross-subsidy mechanism that guarantees cross-subsidy mechanism for lifeline quantities (30 Liter per day per household Revenue Water + 10 Liter per day per household Non-Revenue Water) of safe water for extremely poor and vulnerable households, including women-headed families, persons with disabilities, and households with young children.
3. Construction oversight: The agency will ensure technical supervision of construction works of 16 mini-piped water system constructed through DoE contractors.
4. Establish a water quality assurance, Climate Resilient Water Safety Plan and monitoring framework that ensures regular testing for key health-related parameters, including microbial and chemical contaminants, Water safety framework, aligned with national standards and/or WHO guidelines.
5. Expansion of services for making viable business model, the DoE-UNICEF water supply project will only install basics infrastructure like installation deep tubewell and solar system with piped network to communal stand post for low income and hardcore poor at their courtyard. The agency will extend this pipe line to users’ premises (toilet, bathing place, kitchen areas etc.) with meter water supply facilities through user’s contribution as appropriate to expend this services.
6. Develop a feasible, community-adapted O&M plan that enables long-term functionality of the systems through clear roles, capacity development, asset management, financial management procedures, and supply chain considerations.
7. Strengthen community engagement and demand generation, including behavior change communication to promote the value of safe water, water safety plan, water management and good hygiene practices among climate-vulnerable populations to reduce secondary contamination.
8. Develop scalable models for replication. The agency will prepare policy brief for development of sustainable business models for delegated management, performance-based contracting, or social enterprise operations that ensure efficiency, reliability, accountability, and sustainability.

Expected Results

The consultancy will deliver a sustainable, pro-poor business model for the operation of 12 climate-resilient mini-piped water systems with possible increase to 20 systems in Mujibnagar Union, including a viable cross-subsidy mechanism for vulnerable households. Expected outputs include an O&M plan, an inclusive infrastructure design framework, and a water-quality monitoring protocol aligned with national standards. The assignment will strengthen private-sector engagement, community mobilization, and demand for safe water. By 2026, climate-vulnerable households—especially the poorest, women-headed families, and persons with disabilities—will have improved, reliable, and safely managed drinking water access through sustainable service delivery systems.

1. Description of Assignment

The consultancy agency/firm will be responsible for designing a comprehensive, climate-resilient, and pro-poor business model to support the sustainable operation of 16 mini-piped water systems in Mujibnagar Union. The scope of work includes, but is not limited to, the following components:

a) Strengthening Evidence and Service Modelling

• Develop an enterprise model that assesses demand, service costs, and financial viability of a hybrid public–private service delivery approach.
• Conduct analysis of water quality, usage patterns, non-functionality rates, user payment behaviors, institutional roles, and O&M expenditure to inform model design.

 

b) Development of a Social Business Model

• Prepare a site-specific business plan reflecting existing demand, source availability, climate risks, and access constraints.
• Design a pro-poor social business model enabling at least 1,600 climate-vulnerable households to access affordable lifeline water, ensuring inclusion of women-headed households, persons with disabilities, and families with children under two.
• Establish a cross-subsidy mechanism guaranteeing subsidized or free lifeline quantities of water for extremely poor households.
• Ensure the model becomes self-sustaining after UNICEF’s initial support and includes an emergency response protocol appropriate for cyclone forecast activated mechanisms to reduce damage

 

c) Community Mobilization and Demand Creation

• Develop and adopt existing SBCC and water safety behaviour change materials 
• Implement awareness-raising activities for approximately 1,600 households to increase understanding of safe water, climate-resilient water safety plan, water management and hygiene practices.
• Support conversion of at least 50% of targeted households into active users/payment cardholders through behavior change and demand-generation strategies.

 

d) Expansion of Services for Business Viability

• While the DoE–UNICEF project will install core infrastructure (deep tube-well, solar system, and piped network to communal standposts), the agency will extend connections to individual premises (toilets, bathing spaces, kitchens) through payment for use modalities.
• Promote installation of metered household connections based on community contributions to enhance service uptake and financial sustainability.

 

e) Water Quality Assurance and Climate-Resilient Water Safety Planning

• Develop a water quality assurance and monitoring framework aligned with Bangladesh national water quality and/or WHO standards.
• Establish a Climate-Resilient Water Safety Plan covering risk assessment through sanitary inspection, mitigation, sampling frequency, key parameters (microbial and chemical), cost implications, and accountability for testing and reporting.

 

f) Implement Service Delivery Model Development

• Design and implement a service delivery model enabling formalized enterprises or delegated management entities to operate the systems.
• Ensure models promote equitable, affordable, reliable, and safely managed water services, with explicit provisions for poor and disadvantaged households.
• Define performance indicators, accountability mechanisms, and reporting structures.

g) Policy Design and Recommendations for Wider Uptake

• Develop a policy brief summarizing learnings and outlining pathways for scaling the business model nationally.
• Provide recommendations for strengthening sectoral institutions, enhancing political and technical alignment, and mobilizing resources for replication.

 

1. Deliverables and payment schedule

SL

Major Tasks and Deliverables

Timeline (May 2026-Dec 2026)

Deliverable

I: Conceptualization phase

1.1

Develop method, approaches, business models and tools for this assignment

May 2026

Inception report approved

1.3

Prepare inception report and present to UNICEF for review and endorsement

1.4

Finalization of inception report

II: Community Mobilization and Demand Creation

2.1

Support DoE Small Island project for community mobilization and user’s group formation of 16 small scale piped water scheme in Mujibnagar Union, Charfession Upazila, Bhola

May-Sept 2026

# of users enlisted under tariff mechanism (at least 50%)

2.2

Implement awareness-raising activities for approximately 1,600 households to increase understanding of safe water, climate-resilient water safety plan, and hygiene practices.

2.3

Support conversion of at least 50% of targeted households into active users/payment cardholders through behavior change and demand-generation strategies.

III: Development of a Social Business Model

3.1

Prepare a site-specific business plan reflecting existing demand, source availability, climate risks, and access constraints.

June-Nov 2026

Site-specific business plan developed

3.2

Design a pro-poor social business model

3.3

Establish a cross-subsidy mechanism for extremely poor households.

IV: Expansion of Services for Business Viability

4.1

Conduct community mobilization for extension of meter water connections to individual premises (toilets, bathing spaces, kitchens) through payment for use modalities.

 

June-Dec 2026

# of users enlisted

4.2

Undertake construction works based on users contribution for extension of meter water connections to individual premises (toilets, bathing spaces, kitchens) through payment for use modalities.

# of extended construction works completed and users connected to the piped network system

 

 

 

 

V: Water Quality Assurance and Climate-Resilient Water Safety Planning

5.1

Develop water quality assurance, sanitary inspection, necessary adjustment plan and monitoring framework

Jul-Dec 2026

Water quality assurance, sanitary inspection, necessary adjustment plan and monitoring framework developed

5.2

Establish a Climate-Resilient Water Safety Plan (WSP) covering risk assessment and mitigation with capacity building to the user’s group and formation of WSP group, local DPHE drillers/mechanics.  

Aug 2026-Dec 2026

WSP framework developed, # of users group trained and # WSP group formed and trained,   #local DPHE drillers/mechanics trained.   

VI: Implement Service Delivery Model Development

6.1

Design and implement a service delivery model

June 2026-Dec 2026

Design document

6.2

Define performance indicators, accountability mechanisms, and reporting structures.

Jul 2026-Dec 2026

VII: Policy Design and Recommendations for Wider Uptake

7.2

Lessons learnt documentation, knowledge product development, best practices and publications

Nov-Dec 2026

video documentation, Joint Publications in peer-reviewed journal article-at least one

 

1. Reporting requirements

 

• Inception report:

The agency shall submit a finalized inception report within two weeks of contract signing.

 

• Quarterly Report:

The agency shall submit a detailed quarterly progress report including:

• Updated information on all water users’ groups/subscribers/consumers;
• Water quality monitoring reports and database;
• Water Safety Plan (WSP) updates;
• Sanitary inspection findings, corrective measures taken, and status updates;
• Operation status of treatment facilities and any improvements undertaken.

• Sustainability Report:

The agency shall submit a system functionality report, covering operation and maintenance (O&M) performance, on a quarterly basis throughout the one-year O&M phase.
 

A comprehensive Operation and Maintenance Guideline and Social Business Model shall be finalized and submitted to UNICEF by the third quarter of the contract period, along with relevant datasets and documentation.

 

• Final Report:

A draft final report shall be submitted to UNICEF by the first week of the final month of the contract for review. The agency is strongly encouraged to share the proposed table of contents with all team members before drafting the report.

 

After receiving UNICEF’s feedback, the agency shall submit the final completion report, including all technical, social, and analytical components, along with complete annexes, by the last week of the contract expiry month.

 

• Additional document:

The agency shall prepare a Lessons Learned Report, accompanied by video documentation.

 

A policy brief shall be submitted summarizing key learnings and proposing pathways for national scale-up of the social business model.

 

Additionally, the agency shall collaborate with UNICEF to develop at least one peer-reviewed journal article based on project learnings.

 

1. Payment Schedule

• 20% of total fee upon submission of the inception report describing methodology, approaches, and tools to be adopted to conduct the assignment with work plan.
• 40% of total fee upon acceptance of 1st quarterly report
• 30% of total fee upon acceptance of 2nd quarterly report
• 10% of total fee upon acceptance of final report

 

1. Qualification requirement of the company/institution/organization

To successfully deliver the objectives of this assignment, the implementing agency must demonstrate strong institutional capacity, relevant technical experience, and the ability to deploy a multidisciplinary team with proven expertise in WASH service delivery, social enterprise models, climate resilience, and community mobilization in Bangladesh. The agency must demonstrate experience working in climate-vulnerable contexts, preferably with operations close to Bhola district to optimize cost-effective service delivery.

 

 

Institutional Eligibility and Experience-

The implementing agency must:

• Be a legally registered organization authorized to operate in Bangladesh and provide all relevant legal documentation.
• Have a minimum of four (4) years of proven experience in safe water supply, water quality assessment, treatment facilities, O&M, and social business model development in climate-vulnerable areas.
• Demonstrate experience in:
  • Design, installation, or management of small-scale piped water supply schemes;
  • Development and implementation of water quality monitoring mechanisms and Water Safety Plans;
  • Community mobilization and behavior change approaches for pay-for-use water services;
  • Preparing sustainable operation and maintenance plans, guidelines, and training modules;
  • Developing pro-poor tariff structures and lifeline water subsidy mechanisms;
  • Establishing self-sustaining business models following initial development partner support;
  • Working with government institutions such as Department of Environment (DoE), Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE), Local Government Institutions (LGIs), and local administration.
• Demonstrate a strong ability to collaborate with UN agencies, development partners, NGOs, and government bodies.
• Have internal policies actively implemented on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA).
• Have a robust financial management system capable of generating regular financial reports, invoices, and expenditure tracking.
• Show proven capacity to deliver projects within set timelines, maintain flexibility, and ensure transparent and fair operations with communities.

 

Team Composition

The agency must deploy a multidisciplinary team led by an experienced Team Lead/Project Manager. At a minimum, the team should include the following key experts:

1. Team Lead / Project Manager
2. Technical Water Supply, Water Safety, and Water Quality Expert
3. Social Business / Social Enterprise Specialist
4. Community Mobilization and Social Behavior Change (SBC) Expert

Qualifications and Experience Requirements

a. Team Lead / Project Manager

Role:
Provide overall leadership, coordination, stakeholder engagement, quality assurance, and ensure alignment with national/international WASH and climate-resilient service delivery guidelines. Responsible for reporting to UNICEF and supervising the multidisciplinary team.

Required Experience:

• Advanced university degree in Civil/Water Resource/Environmental/Public Health/ climate change, or related fields.
• Minimum 10 years’ experience in the Water supply, with demonstrated experience in sustainable operation and maintenance, managing and designing small scale water supply schemes.
• Strong understanding of Bangladesh’s Water Supply and climate landscape, institutional structures, social business/enterprise model, and sector challenges.
• Experience working with UN agencies, donor-funded projects, government agencies, and international NGOs.
• Excellent proficiency in English (writing and speaking).
• Strong writing, analytical, and communication skills, including summarizing complex information.
• Proficiency in PowerPoint, Excel, and data visualization tools.

 

b. Technical Water Supply, Water Safety, and Water Quality Expert

Role: Lead the drafting of technical standards, infrastructure assessment, Piped Water supply design feasibility, sustainable O&M, and development of water quality surveillance framework  and Water Safety Plan frameworks.

Required Experience:

• Advanced university degree in the areas of Civil/Water Resource/Environment/Public Health/Water Supply Engineering.
• A minimum of 10 years of experience in water supply, sanitation, and hygiene systems.
• Familiarity with (inter-)national policies/guidelines/regulatory frameworks on WASH, Water Safety Plan, managing small scale piped water system, and climate-resilient WASH (e.g., UNICEF, WHO, Sphere).
• Adequate knowledge of the country’s geo-socio-economic and political context.

c. Community Mobilization and Social Behavior Change Expert

Role: Design and implement community mobilization strategies, behavior change interventions, and demand-generation campaigns to promote safe water use, water safety awareness, and adoption of household connections.

Required Experience:

• Advanced degree in social sciences, communication, public health, development studies, or related fields.
• Minimum 7 years’ experience in community engagement, SBC, and participatory approaches.
• Experience in mobilizing low-income and climate-vulnerable communities for pay-for-use models or WASH service adoption.
• Strong understanding of gender, disability inclusion, and community dynamics in rural Bangladesh.
• Skilled in designing communication tools and community outreach methodologies.

 

1. Assessment of Proposal

The submitted proposals will undergo assessment to confirm alignment with the requirements set by this ToR, ensuring the framing issues are adequately addressed.

 

Applications be made to UNICEF Bangladesh and to include the following for assessment:

• Technical Proposal
• Financial Proposal
• Proposed team members (including CVs)
• A summary of relevant experience of the institution demonstrating their capacity to undertake the work.

 

1. Technical Evaluation Criteria

 

 

CATEGORY

POINTS

RELEVANCE AND ALIGNMENT OF THE PROPOSAL

(05)

Understanding of the study objectives and scope.

2

Understanding of the scope of the ToR and completeness of response.

2

Overall concord between study requirements and the proposal.

1

APPROPRIATENESS OF METHODOLOGY AND TIMELINE

 (30)

Quality and technical soundness of the proposed approach and methodology.

10

Appropriateness of the approach: to what extent is the methodology designed in response to the requirements of the ToR.

10

Quality of proposed implementation plan, i.e., how the agency will undertake each task, and the process of completing the tasks.

5

Risk assessment - recognition of the risks/peripheral problems and methods to prevent and manage risks/peripheral problems.

5

ORGANISATIONAL CAPACITY AND PROPOSED TEAM

 (20)

Professional expertise of the firm/company/organization, knowledge and experience with similar projects.

10

Team leader: Relevant experience, qualifications, and position with the agency.

5

Team members: Relevant experience, skills & competencies.

5

Technical Score based on technical proposal review

60

Presentation on Technical Proposal

(Note: The minimum qualifying score to be invited for holding the TEC presentation is 42 out of 60 points).

 

The technical presentation should highlight the proposed implementation plan for

commencing the tasks, the implementation phases, and how each phase will be executed.

10

 

 

 

 

 

70

For this RFP, the Technical Proposal + Technical presentation has a total score of 70 points. Bidders must score a minimum of 49 points to be considered technically compliant and in order for the Financial Proposals to be opened. The financial proposal has a total score of 30 points

 

The final selection of the bidder will be based on a quality and cost basis as specified in the RFP.