CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR DEVELOPING AND DESIGNING SANITATION AND HYGIENE PRODUCTS AND
SERVICES CATALOG.

Source of funding: ISOKO Y'UBUZIMA Project

Procuring Entity (PE): Water For People

Procurement Method: OPEN COMPETITIVE TENDERING

Date of Issue: 6/10/ 2025

1. Background

Water For People is an international non-profit organization that aims to improve access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, and hygiene education in developing countries. Water For People works locally, nationally, and globally to influence governments’ water and sanitation policies to serve the interests of the needy. The water For People program in Rwanda began in 2008, with an overall objective to help all communities, schools, and healthcare facilities gain access to sustainable water, sanitation services, and hygiene behavior change in Rulindo, Kicukiro, Gicumbi, and Karongi Districts of Rwanda.

Water For People has secured funds from the United States Government through the Department of State to finance the Isoko y’Ubuzima Project, which is a five-year Rwanda Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) activity. The activity is being executed by a consortium led by Water For People and includes IRC, CARE International, VEI, and a local partner, African Evangelistic Enterprise (AEE) in Rwanda. The project operates in 10 districts, namely, Rwamagana, Kayonza, Ngoma, Kirehe, Nyagatare, Ruhango, Nyanza, Nyamagabe, Ngororero, and Nyabihu. 

The overall goal of the Isoko y’Ubuzima project is to improve access to and utilization of safe, sustainable drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene services.

The Isoko y’Ubuzima project aims to strengthen sanitation and hygiene markets and improve access to WASH services accessible for all. The project identified local community sanitation and hygiene products, such as a lower-cost slab for latrines, emptiable dry toilet, and handwashing, developed community preference-based latrine design through a human-centered design (HCD) approach. 

As part of its interventions, the project plans to produce a comprehensive catalog of sanitation technologies and services available to reflect current improvements in synergy with better meeting community needs, preferences, and aspirations. 

To build on this progress, the Isoko y’Ubuzima project plans to identify and produce a comprehensive catalog reflecting current improvements and innovations of affordable and accessible sanitation technologies and services that respond to the diverse needs of the population. The project will draw on the Ministry of Infrastructure’s document on low-cost WASH technologies in Rwanda, which provides valuable guidance on appropriate and scalable options to develop a comprehensivecatalog of sanitation technologies and services. This catalog will incorporate recent innovations and improvements, ensuring alignment with community needs, preferences, and aspirations, while also contributing to the broader goal of accessible and sustainable WASH service delivery.

The updated catalog will be disseminated through different project platforms and workshops, targeting various supply chain actors, including District Sanitation Centers (DSCs), Community Sanitation Showrooms (CSR), sales agents of sanitation and hygiene products, masons, and the association of pit emptiers in Rwanda (ASSERWA). This aims to raise awareness and boost demand for newly promoted products, including but not limited to: 

• Human-centered design, emptiable latrine with a concrete slab

• SATO stools 

• Different types of adapted toilet seats (Made of wood, plastic, ceramic, etc) 

• Different types of low-cost improved latrine technologies adapted for areas with challenging environmental conditions, such as high-water table, flood-prone, rocky, and unstable soil.

• Double pit latrines (alternating)
• Tiger Worm Toilets (TWT) 

• Handwashing facilities, including Sato taps 

• Services of construction of improved latrines provided by trained masons. 

• Pit emptying technology and services provided by pit emptier (e.g, Evac, or Pupu pump) 

The updated catalog will also align with ongoing support and training for sanitation entrepreneurs and will play a critical role in expanding the uptake of affordable, inclusive, and sustainable sanitation products or services across the project areas. 

2. Objective of the Assignment

To hire a qualified consultant to:

1.  Collect and document existing information on locally available sanitation and hygiene technologies and services, with a focus on product designs, specifications, materials, supply, affordability, accessibility, environmental suitability, and community preferences.
2.  Develop a comprehensive user-friendly sanitation and hygiene catalog that aligns with national standards, incorporating proven innovative sanitation and hygiene technologies, and serves as a practical reference for households, institutions, and supply chain actors.
3. Design (lay-out) a user-friendly and professionally formatted catalog that can be printed and disseminated to stakeholders (DSCs, CSRs, trained masons, Sanitation and hygiene products sales agents, sanitation and hygiene products manufacturers, other WASH partners, etc…)
4. Promote evidence-based decision-making by consolidating national and international best practices, with emphasis on technologies and services that are appropriate for Rwanda’s varied ecological zones.
5. Strengthen the role of local entrepreneurs and supply chain actors by ensuring that the catalog reflects business opportunities for masons, suppliers, District Sanitation Centers, pit emptiers (ASSERWA), and sales agents.

6. Increase awareness and uptake of innovative and affordable sanitation solutions among communities, thereby contributing to Rwanda’s universal access targets.

3. SCOPE OF WORK

The scope of work for the consultant will cover a range of responsibilities, including consultative meetings with sanitation entrepreneurs, manufacturers, suppliers, and key project staff for a desk review of sanitation products and services available in the community, designing the catalog, and printing the final approved version of the catalog. Specifically, the scope of work will include:

1. Conduct consultations with WASH partners to better understand the scope of work, expected deliverables, and access available documentation related to the assignment 
2. Conduct a desk review of existing sanitation and hygiene technologies, products, and services approved by the government of Rwanda. 
3. Benchmark innovations from similar contexts in East Africa that may be adapted to Rwanda.
4. Conductconsultations with selected stakeholders, including Sanitation involved ministries (MININFRA, MOH), WASAC group, health facilities , sanitation entrepreneurs, manufacturers, schools, suppliers, DSCs, community sanitation showroom operators, masons, and sales agents, and pit emptiers to get insights of existing, improved, safe, accessible, and dignified sanitation technologies, and services available in the community and on the market. 
5. Develop the catalog with a clear categorization (Sanitation technologies, Sanitation services, and hygiene technologies).

Note: Each product or service should contain summarized and concise information on the following:

• Product name and description
• Technical specifications and environmental/community suitability
• Estimated price ranges for affordable materials in urban or rural regions 
• User benefits (e.g., durability, hygiene)
• Products disadvantages and advantages 
• Photos or illustrations
• Service manufacture' contact points.

 6. Design a layout of the catalog with clear images, fonts that comply with Isoko y’Ubuzima branding requirements.

7. Finalize the catalog and submit the ready-to-print digital versions in both English and Kinyarwanda (PDF and web-compatible versions) customized for flyer and poster.

4. Deliverables

5. Qualifications of the bidders

This work requires two individual consultants with expertise in WASH and graphic design and production. The two consultants must form a joint venture duly notarized. 

Principal consultant or Project Lead

The Project Manager should at least hold a bachelor’s degree or higher in sanitary engineering, public health, environmental sciences, with proven working experience in sanitation and hygiene projects, particularly in sanitation product development, or WASH-related project implementation with a solid understanding of Rwanda’s WASH sector and community-based sanitation approaches. Knowledge in water and sanitation governance/policy is added value.

Graphic designer 

The consultant should hold a professional certificate or other qualifications in graphic design with proven technical experience in design, combined with strong skills in writing, particularly proficiency in developing and using digital design and communication tools. Fluency in English and Kinyarwanda (spoken and written).

6. Duration of the assignment

The assignment is expected to be completed within five weeks or 35 calendar days starting from the date of the contract signing. The consultant will work closely with Water For People sanitation officer to ensure the quality and timely completion of the assignment.

7. Bid Documents

The application document should contain the following:

7.1. Technical proposal

1. A detailed CV of two technical personnel outlining relevant experience, including at least 3 references with their contacts and addresses.
2. Motivation letter
3. A technical proposal containing detailed methodology, an understanding of terms of reference, and a clear timeframe detailing how the deliverables will be achieved. 
4. Evidence of the consultant's experience in a similar assignment: Three completion certificates of similar assignments (Both the project lead and graphic designer.)
5. Samples of previous communication materials developed for similar Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) or related projects.

7.2. Financial Proposal

The financial offer should detail the various costs associated with the delivery of the above services (in Rwanda Francs), in Excel format, and must be a separate attachment from the technical proposal and password protected. Technical and financial proposals will be sent in the same e-mail with separate attachments.

8. Evaluation criteria 

Proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria: the profile of the consultants, clarity of methodology and understanding of the task, and cost as follows.

8.1. Technical evaluation

The technical evaluation will be based on the evaluation matrix below:

8.2. Financial evaluation 

Following the technical evaluation, only bidders who score 80% or higher will advance to the financial evaluation stage. At this stage, financial proposals will be assessed, and the bidder with the lowest price will be selected. Financial proposals must be password-protected, and passwords will only be requested from bidders who qualify for the financial evaluation. 

Note: Any arithmetic error in the financial report will result in an automatic disqualification.

The selected bidder will be contractually required to comply with Water For People’s Vendor Code of
Conduct https://www.waterforpeople.org/Vendor-Code-of-Conduct and will be required to deliver a Conflict-of-Interest Certificate prior to execution of the contract. The Conflict-of-Interest Certificate requires the disclosure of any potential or actual conflicts of interest with Water For People employees or their relatives, including past, current or proposed business transactions, employment or offers of employment, or certain gifts or entertainment. Water For People will evaluate any disclosures of conflicts of interest; if Water For People determine it cannot waive or mitigate the conflict of interest, it will result in the disqualification of the selected proposer.

9. Copyrights

Copyright of all material on assignment will be retained by Water For People in Rwanda.

10. Rights reserved

1. Water For People reserves the right to cancel the entire procurement process without incurring any liability whatsoever. 
2. Water For People reserves the right to amend any segment of the RFP prior to the announcement of selected candidates.
3. Water For People also reserves the right to remove one or more of the services from consideration for this contract should the evaluation show that it is in WFP’s best interest to do so.
4. Water For People also may, at its discretion, issue a separate contract for any service or groups of services included in this RFP. Water For People may negotiate a compensation package and additional provisions to the contract awarded under this RFP.
5. Water For People reserves the right to debrief the applicants after the completion of the process due to the expected high volume of applications to avoid the compromise of the process.

11. How to apply

If you feel qualified and interested in the assignment, please send your documents (including the technical and financial proposals as two separate attachments in a single e-mail) to: rwprocurement@waterforpeople.orgno later than 26th October 2025 with the following subject: “Consultancy services for developing and designing sanitation and hygiene products and services catalog”. Hard copies and late submissions shall be rejected.

Done at Kigali, on October 7, 2025

Eugene DUSINGIZUMUREMYI

Country Director