For Development of a District–Wide WASH Sector Development and Investment Plan for Cox’s Bazar District, Bangladesh.
Title
Development of a District – Wide WASH Sector Development and Investment Plan for Cox’s Bazar District, Bangladesh.
Purpose
To develop an evidence-based, costed, and phased district-wide WASH development and investment plan.
Location
Coxs Bazar District
Estimated Duration
Six Months after signing the contract.
Reporting to the Technical Supervisor of this assignment
WASH Specialist, WASH Section, UNICEF Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
1. Background and Rationale
Cox’s Bazar District occupies a unique and strategically important position in Bangladesh’s development and humanitarian landscape. The district has an estimated population of about 2.8 million and simultaneously hosts approximately 1.2 million Rohingya Refugees, mostly concentrated in highly congested settlements. This dual population reality places sustained pressure on public services, natural resources, local infrastructure and host communities.
The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene sector is central to this pressure. WASH services in Cox’s Bazar must respond to two overlapping realities: first, the long-term development needs of Bangladeshi communities across urban, peri-urban, rural, small-town, slum, and informal settlement contexts; and second, the sustained humanitarian service needs associated with the Rohingya response. This requires a planning approach that goes beyond project-by-project interventions and moves toward a district-wide, evidence-based and investment-oriented WASH development framework.
Previous WASH mapping and planning efforts in Cox’s Bazar provide an important foundation for updated district-level planning. However, the current context requires a more comprehensive and forward-looking plan that integrates household WASH access, institutional WASH, water resource security, sanitation and fecal sludge management, solid waste management, climate vulnerability, infrastructure investment needs, and financing gaps.
A District-Wide WASH Sector Development/Investment Plan is therefore proposed as a critical instrument for aligning humanitarian and development investments, strengthening government-led planning, improving service equity and supporting sustainable resource allocation across Cox’s Bazar District. The plan will serve as a practical tool for Government authorities, sector partners, donors, development banks, humanitarian actors and private sector stakeholders.
2. Purpose of the Consultancy
The purpose of this assignment is to engage a qualified team of experts to facilitate the development of a comprehensive District-Wide WASH Sector Development and Investment Plan for Cox’s Bazar District. This plan will provide an evidence-based framework for identifying current WASH service gaps, infrastructure needs, water resource risks, institutional service deficits, financing gaps, and investment priorities. It will support coordinated planning across the district and contribute directly to the Humanitarian-Development Nexus Strategy for the WASH sector in Cox’s Bazar District. This consultancy will work in close collaboration with key stakeholders, including the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE), Dhaka University, ITN-BUET, Cox’s Bazar District Administration, Cox’s Bazar Municipality, Upazila-level authorities, the Development & Humanitarian actors and other relevant partners, who will provide both technical and administrative support and oversight.
A key component of the consultancy is supporting the formation and effective functioning of a Steering Committee led by the District Administration, including serving as its secretariat to ensure smooth coordination, documentation, and follow-up on decisions. The consultancy will undertake a systematic review of existing data, conduct gap analyses, and consolidate findings generated by various entities and studies. This includes integrating sectoral data, identifying overlaps and inconsistencies, and ensuring alignment across different assessments. The consultancy will conduct a desk review on the impact of climate change on WASH services across the district and map opportunities for inclusive, adaptive, and resilient WASH service delivery. The process will also involve analyzing existing and projected investment needs, identifying financing gaps, and prioritizing interventions based on evidence and stakeholder inputs. Ultimately, the consultancy team will lead the development of a comprehensive, actionable District-Wide WASH Development Plan through participatory consultations and engagement, ensuring all stakeholders are on board and aligning the plan with national policies and development frameworks.
3. Overall Objective
To develop a district-wide, evidence-based WASH sector development and investment plan for Cox’s Bazar District that guides short-, medium- and long-term investments for equitable, climate-resilient and sustainable WASH services for both host communities and refugee-affected areas.
4. Specific Objectives
- Generate reliable and disaggregated evidence on WASH service access, infrastructure, water resources, institutional WASH, climate vulnerability and financing across Cox’s Bazar District.
- Assess WASH service gaps at household, institutional, community, settlement and system levels.
- Map existing and planned WASH infrastructure, including large-scale water supply, sanitation, fecal sludge management, solid waste management and related service systems.
- Analyze water resource availability, demand, vulnerability and exploitation practices across the district.
- Identify climate-related hazards and shocks affecting WASH services, including floods, cyclones, salinity, drought, landslides, contamination risks and water scarcity.
- Estimate investment needs and financing gaps for achieving improved and sustainable WASH services across the district.
- Develop a prioritized and phased WASH investment plan aligned with government systems, sector standards, humanitarian-development priorities and donor financing opportunities.
5. Strategic Importance
The proposed plan is strategically important for the following reasons:
- Cox’s Bazar is unique in terms of its development dynamics. It combines high poverty, climate vulnerability, fragile water resources, rapid urbanization, institutional service gaps, and large-scale humanitarian demand.
- WASH services must be planned at a scale that reflects both host community development needs and refugee-response pressures.
- Investment decisions require stronger evidence. The just-completed Bangladesh MICS 7, census data and national WASH surveys provide an opportunity to apply small area estimation and generate more granular WASH evidence for local-level planning.
- Cox’s Bazar development planning requires stronger integration of water supply, sanitation, fecal sludge management, solid waste, hygiene, climate resilience and water resource management data to inform decisions.
- Donor funding for humanitarian response is becoming more constrained, making it increasingly important to identify sustainable, government-aligned and development-oriented investment pathways.
6. Geographic Scope
The assignment will cover the entire Cox’s Bazar District. The analysis should be disaggregated, where feasible, to the union level. Where union-level estimates are not financially attainable, findings should be presented at the upazila/sub-district level.
The analysis should also distinguish between the following settlement types:
- Urban areas
- Small towns
- Slums/informal settlements
- Rural areas
Where relevant, the plan should also reflect the interface between host communities and refugee settlements, especially in areas where shared resources, water systems, waste management, etc., affect both populations.
7. Thematic Scope
- Water supply
- Water quality
- Sanitation services (including on and off-site fecal sludge management)
- Solid waste management
- Hygiene practices, including menstrual hygiene management (MHM)
- WASH in schools
- WASH in health care facilities
- Water resource management
- Climate Change Adaptation in WASH Services
- WASH financing and investment gap analysis
8. Key Components of the Assignment
8.1 Household WASH Access and Small Area Estimation
The assignment will include household-level analysis of WASH access using a small area estimation approach. This will use data from the recently completed MICS 7, census data and other relevant household datasets.
The analysis should be examined:
- Access to basic and safely managed drinking water services
- Access to basic and safely managed sanitation services
- Access to Basic Hygiene Services
- Menstrual hygiene management access and barriers
- Water quality risks at source, collection, storage, and point of use
- Availability of small-scale water supply systems at the household level
- Fecal sludge containment, emptying, transport, treatment and disposal practices
- Disparities by geography, wealth, sex, disability, settlement type and vulnerability
- Service quality, reliability, affordability and safety
The small area estimation should be designed to produce planning-relevant estimates at the union level where possible, or at the upazila level where union-level estimates are not feasible.
8.2 WASH in Institutions: Schools and Health Care Facilities
The assignment will assess WASH access in schools and health care facilities using available national survey data, including the recent national survey on WASH in educational and health care facilities.
The institutional WASH analysis should examine:
- Availability of improved water sources
- Water source location and reliability
- Drinking water quality
- Availability, adequacy and usability of toilets
- Sex-segregated and disability-inclusive sanitation facilities
- Menstrual hygiene management facilities in schools
- Handwashing facilities with soap and water
- Health care waste management
- Environmental cleaning and infection prevention and control linkages
- Operation and maintenance arrangements
- Institutional financing and accountability mechanisms
The analysis should identify priority investment needs for schools and health care facilities across Cox’s Bazar District.
8.3 Mapping of Large WASH Infrastructure
The assignment will map large-scale WASH infrastructure serving populations of approximately 20,000 people or more. This should include, but not be limited to:
- Regional water supply networks
- Large, piped water systems
- Water treatment plants
- Large reservoirs, dams or major water storage systems
- Centralized fecal sludge management plants
- Centralized solid waste management plants
- Landfills and controlled disposal sites
For each infrastructure asset, the plan should document location, ownership, management arrangement, design capacity, current functionality, population served, operational constraints, expansion potential, climate risk exposure and investment needs.
8.4 Water Resource Mapping and Analysis
A district-wide water resource assessment will be a central part of the plan. This will include mapping of surface water, groundwater, aquifers, recharge areas, water quality risks and vulnerabilities.
The analysis should include:
- Surface water availability and seasonality
- Groundwater potential and aquifer vulnerability based on estimates from groundwater monitoring data
- Water quality risks, including salinity, arsenic, or other relevant parameters
- Competing uses of water, including domestic, agricultural, institutional, commercial, and humanitarian uses
- Water demands for projections for host and refugee-affected populations
- Existing technologies used for the exploitation of surface and groundwater resources and recommendations
- Sustainability of current water exploitation practices
- Climate-related impacts on water availability and quality
- Opportunities for water resources governance (conjunctive use and demand management)
This component should provide a clear basis for identifying water-secure investment options for different parts of the district.
- Climate Vulnerability and Shock Analysis
The plan should assess climate-related hazards and shocks affecting WASH services in Cox’s Bazar, including flooding, cyclones and tidal surges, salinity intrusion, landslides, drought and dry-season water scarcity. The analysis should identify priority climate-resilient WASH investments, including infrastructure adaptations, service continuity measures, alternative water sources, emergency storage, resilient sanitation designs and risk-informed siting of facilities.
8.6 WASH Financing and Investment Gap Analysis
The assignment will map current and potential funding streams for WASH services in Cox’s Bazar District. This should include:
- Government development budgets
- Local government allocations
- Humanitarian funding streams
- Development partner and donor investments
- NGO and implementing partner investments
- International financial institution financing
- Private sector and utility-related investments
- Households' out-of-pocket expenditure, community contributions, and tariff systems, where applicable
The analysis should identify:
- Current WASH expenditure by thematic area
- Geographic distribution of investments
- Funding gaps by service area and settlement types
- Short, medium- and long-term financing needs
- Areas where humanitarian investments can transition into development systems
- Areas where public investment, donor funding and private sector participation can be better aligned
The final plan should include a costed investment framework with prioritized interventions.
9. Proposed Methodological Approach
The assignment should use a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative assessment and analysis, spatial analysis, infrastructure assessment, institutional review and stakeholder consultation.
9.1 Desk Review
The expert team will review existing documents, datasets, policies, strategies, standards, and previous assessments, including:
- Bangladesh census data
- MICS 7 data
- National WASH surveys
- WASH in schools and health care facilities
- Cox’s Bazar WASH assessments
- Sector partner reports
- Government development plans
- Upazila and municipal plans
- Water resource studies
- Climate vulnerability assessments
- Infrastructure records
- Donor and partner investment data
9.2 Primary Data Collection
Primary data collection may include:
- Household survey modules where data gaps remain
- Institutional facility assessments to fill gaps
- Mapping of Large Infrastructure and site verification
- Water quality sampling in selected locations
- Stakeholder consultations and institutional capacity mapping at district, upazila and union levels
Note, however, that where primary data collection is required, the role of this consultancy will be limited to survey design, data quality assurance, and analysis. All field data collection processes will be supported by UNICEF through the relevant lead government agencies.
9.3 Small Area Estimation
Small area estimation will be used to produce more localized WASH indicators by combining survey data with census and administrative datasets. The expert team should propose a statistically sound methodology, clearly explaining model assumptions, reliability thresholds, confidence intervals and limits of interpretation.
9.4 GIS and Spatial Analysis
The plan should include GIS-based mapping of:
- Water supply infrastructure
- Latrines and fecal sludge systems
- Solid waste infrastructure
- Institutional WASH service gaps
- Water resource potential
- Climate hazard exposure
- Investment priority zones
- WASH access gaps
9.5 Stakeholder Engagement
The process should be participatory and government-led. Key stakeholders should include:
- District administration
- Department of Public Health Engineering
- Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics
- Local Government Engineering Department
- Municipal authorities
- Upazila and Union Parishads
- Department of Environment
- Education and health authorities
- Refugee response coordination structures
- WASH sector partners
- Development partners and donors
- NGOs and civil society organizations
- Private sector service providers
- Community representatives, including women, adolescents, and vulnerable groups
10. Expected Outputs and Deliverables
No.
Deliverable/Milestones
Description
Phase
1
Inception Report
Methodology, workplan, sampling approach, data sources, analytical framework, stakeholder engagement plan and deliverable schedule.
One
2
Data Collation and Gap Analysis
Available datasets, data quality, limitations and additional data collection needs.
3
Household WASH Access and Small Area Estimation
Disaggregated findings on household WASH access and service gaps.
Two
4
Institutional WASH secondary data analysis
Assessment of WASH in schools and health care facilities.
5
Climate Vulnerability and WASH Resilience data analysis
Hazards, service risks and resilience priorities.
6
Large WASH Infrastructure data and gap analysis
GIS maps, asset inventory and functionality assessment.
Three
7
Water Resource Assessment data analysis
Surface water, groundwater, demand, vulnerability and technology options.
8
WASH Financing and Investment Gap Analysis
Current funding flows, investment gaps and financing options.
9
Draft District-Wide WASH Sector Development /Investment Plan
Strategic priorities, phased interventions and investment options, including costed investment matrix.
Four
10
Validated Final District-Wide WASH Sector Development /Investment Plan
Final plan incorporating stakeholder feedback.
11
GIS Database and Map Package
Shapefiles, geodatabase, map products and metadata.
12
Policy and Decision Brief
Concise summary for government, donors and senior decision-makers.
Five
13
Presentation Slide Deck
Slides for validation, advocacy and resource mobilization.
14
Final Consultancy Report
Compilation of all steps and processes undertaken under the consultancy, including minutes of key stakeholders' consultative and engagement meetings.
11. Proposed Implementation Phases
- Phase 1: Inception and Scoping: Confirm the methodology, data sources, institutional arrangements, stakeholder engagement plan and analytical framework.
- Phase 2: Evidence Generation: Undertake desk review, primary data collection, small area estimation, infrastructure mapping, institutional WASH assessment, and water resource analysis.
- Phase 3: Analysis and Prioritization: Synthesize findings, identify service gaps, assess vulnerabilities, estimate investment needs and develop prioritization criteria.
- Phase 4: Draft Plan Development: Prepare the full district-wide WASH development/investment plan, including a costed investment matrix.
- Phase 5: Validation and Finalization: Facilitate stakeholder review, government validation, donor consultation and finalization of the plan.
12. Indicative Timeline and Payment Modality
The duration for the assignment is six months from the date of contract signing. Payments will be based on deliverables against each of the five phases.
Phase
Indicative Duration
Payment (%)
Phase 1
3 weeks
10%
Phase 2
9 weeks
30%
Phase 3
4 weeks
20%
Phase 4
4 weeks
20%
Phase 5
4 weeks
20%
13. Required Key Expertise
The assignment should be undertaken by a multidisciplinary team with experience in WASH sector planning, investment planning, humanitarian-development nexus programming and Bangladesh’s institutional arrangement. The team should include:
- Team Leader / WASH Sector Planning Specialist: Strong experience in WASH policy, planning, investment frameworks and stakeholder coordination.
- WASH Specialist: Expertise in rural, urban and regional WASH Services delivery in both humanitarian and development contexts
- Civil Engineer/Specialist in Large WASH Infrastructure: Experience in large water networks and treatment systems, sanitation service chains, FSM systems, municipal waste systems, landfill planning, and integrated service delivery models.
- Climate Risk and Resilience Specialist: Experience in climate vulnerability assessment and resilient infrastructure planning.
- Statistician / Small Area Estimation Expert: Proven experience in survey statistics, small area estimation, census integration and model-based estimation.
- GIS and Remote Sensing Specialist: Expertise in spatial analysis, infrastructure mapping, hazard mapping and geodatabase development.
- WASH Financing / Investment Planning Expert: Experience in costed sector plans, financing gap analysis, donor mapping and investment prioritization.
- Social Inclusion and Gender Specialist: Expertise in equity, gender, disability inclusion, MHM and community engagement.
14. Governance and Coordination Arrangements
The assignment should be guided by a steering committee or technical advisory group comprising government, sector coordination and development partner representatives.
The proposed governance structure may include:
- Steering Committee lead District-level leadership
- Technical leadership from relevant technical agencies
- Participation of WASH sector coordination platforms
- Engagement with sub-district leadership (municipalities, upazilas and unions)
- Coordination with refugee response actors
- Representation from donors and development partners
- Facilitation and Technical guidance by the consulting team
This arrangement will help ensure that the final plan is not simply a consultant report, but a practical planning and resource mobilization instrument owned by the relevant authorities and sector stakeholders.
15. Expected Results
- A clear district-wide picture of WASH service access and gaps.
- A localized evidence base for union- or upazila-level planning.
- A mapped inventory of major WASH infrastructure.
- A stronger understanding of water resource potential and vulnerability.
- A clear analysis of climate risks affecting WASH services.
- A practical investment gap analysis.
- A prioritized and costed WASH investment plan.
- Better alignment between humanitarian and development investments.
- Stronger basis for donor advocacy and government budgeting.
- Improved planning for equitable, resilient and sustainable WASH services across Cox’s Bazar District.
- Evaluation Criteria for Technical Proposal
Category
Points
Overall Response
(5)
- Understanding of and responsiveness to UNICEF Bangladesh Office requirements;
2
- Understanding of scope, objectives and completeness of response;
2
- Overall concord between UNICEF requirements and the proposal.
1
Methodologies and Timeline
(35)
- Quality of the proposed approach and methodology.
5
- Suitability of the approach: To what extent is the methodology designed in response to the needs of the TOR?
10
- Quality of proposed implementation plan, i.e how the bidder will undertake each task, and time-schedules.
5
- Risk assessment - recognition of the risks/peripheral problems and methods to prevent and manage risks/peripheral problems. For clear understanding, please list down the potential risks related to this assignment and describe the mitigation measures for each risk in a table.
5
- Timelines proposed must be detailed and realistic, along with the deliverables plan.
10
Organizational Capacity and Proposed Team
(30)
- Professional expertise of the firm/company/organisation, knowledge and experience with similar consulting assignments in Cox's Bazar locations.
10
- Team leader: Relevant experience, qualifications, and position with the firm.
10
- Team members - Relevant experience, skills & competencies.
5
- Organisation of the team and roles & responsibilities.
5
Total Marks
70
For this RFP, the Technical Proposal 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.