The document discusses the importance and varying forms of post-construction support for community-based water service providers, emphasizing the need for structured support mechanisms rather than ad hoc assistance. It outlines different types and classifications of direct support activities, such as monitoring and conflict resolution, while highlighting examples of support arrangements in several countries. The document suggests an experimental approach to refine direct support modalities, analyze their effectiveness, and explore new institutional models for sustainable water services.

1. AN EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH TO
STRENGTHENING POST-CONSTRUCTION
SUPPORT
Research seminar
Kampala
24-26 Sept 2012
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2. Definitions
• Wide acceptance that majority of community-based service providers are unable to
manage their water supply without some form of post-construction support
• So that service providers can professionalize – see building block on professionalisation
• Earlier research showed that vast majority of community-based service providers seek
and get support
• However, often in an ad hoc manner; need to differentiate that from structured
support.
• Different terms: post-construction support, institutional support mechanisms, follow-
up support
• Suggested terminology:
– Ad hoc support: one-off or unstructured support activities to service providers or users and
user groups
– Direct support: structured support activities to service providers as well as to users or user
groups
– Indirect support creating and regulating the enabling environment for rural water supply
services provision and support to service authorities
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3. Types of activities under direct
support
• Monitoring, including water quality testing and auditing – so
also linked to building block on monitoring
• Advice:
– Technical, e.g. O&M
– Administrative support, e.g. tariff setting
– Organisational, e.g. obtaining legal registration
• Conflict resolution
• Support in identifying capital maintenance needs Training and
refresher courses
• Provision of information
• Resource mobilization
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4. Different forms of classifying
support
• On-demand and supply-driven
– Possibility to anticipate problems
– On-demand – either ad hoc or through structural
contact
• Support agent provides all support directly, or
indirectly, acting as node, contracting out
certain support activities
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5. Relation between service provider, service
authority and support agent
Service provision arrangement Arrangements for direct
support (support agent)
Fully internal Service provision function fulfilled by Does not apply.
service authority.
Mixed Service provision function spread Support activities entail both operation and
between service authority, CBO and (capital) maintenance work and direct support.
even third parties, such as a dedicated Both of which can be internal or external
line agency or private mechanics.
Fully external Service provision function fulfilled fully Range of support options
by CBO.
Service provision function fulfilled by Probably no or very little support needed. Only
private utility. the monitoring and control function lies with
the service authority.
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6. Arrangements for providing direct
support
Institutional arrangement for support agent
Examples
Internal Direct support by local government e.g. Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mozambique
arrangement through local government technicians, such
as hand pump mechanics or promoters.
External Central government, via deconcentrated Circuit riders in Central America
arrangement offices, parastatal agencies, or contracting Chile: regional utilities, contracted by
to specialised entity national government
Association of community-based service Indonesia, Senegal, Brazil, Honduras, USA
providers, jointly hiring technical support
Local government subcontracting a SSA in South Africa, handpump mechanics
specialised agency (e.g. urban utility, private
company or NGO) or individuals (e.g. private
hand pump mechanics), who may provide a
mix of direct support and O&M activities.
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NGOs, mostly ad hoc. El Salvador

7. Examples: internal arrangements
Zimbabwe
•Mixed model
•Local government
providing support but
also doing some service
provision tasks
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8. Examples: external arrangements
Honduras
•Circuit riders from
deconcentrated offices of
national government
•Support function only,
through monitoring,
(re)training and technical
advice
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9. Examples: external arrangements
South Africa
•Support Service Agent
contracted by local government
•Supporting CBO in
administration but also doing
part of the service provision
functions, in O&M and capital
maintenance
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10. Examples: external arrangements
El Salvador
•NGO with circuit rider model
of technical advice and
(re)training
•Monitoring limited to water
quality test
•Bulk supply of materials
(chlorine)
•Largely funded out of donor
aid
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11. State of direct support in the
sector
• In many countries, mandate for support not explicitly defined
• Even where it is, few specific mechanisms or modalities in
place
• Limited dedicated financial resources
– Some user contribution
– Largely financed by State, or through donor funds
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12. Comparing expenditure on direct
support in various case studies
Case ExpDS (US$/ person/ year)
Mozambique 0.0015
El Salvador 0.25
India (Andhra Pradesh) 0.32
Mali 0.34
Ghana 0.78
Honduras 0.90
Namibia 1.12-2.76 (actual)
2.59-5.49 (required)
South Africa 1.69-3.93
Source: Smits et al., 2011
Chile 3.44
Brazil SERVICES THAT LAST
WATER
3.63
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13. Expenditure and costs of direct
support
• Annual expenditure on direct support of less than US$ 1 per person per
year reported that the relevant agencies were unable to fulfil their
mandate
• Annual expenditure of above US$ 3 per person all reported reasonable
levels of performance
• Realistic cost of support is probably a couple of US dollars per person per
year
• In countries with higher expenditure on support, this is not provided by
local government, but by dedicated agencies
• Some scope for user contributions, but largely financed through taxes of
transfers
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14. Experimental approach
• As there is no one “best” institutional model, need to take experimental approach (single loop
learning), within resource constraints:
– Institutional modalities for direct support, e.g. HPMAs) – building on existing diversity of
modalities
– Mechanisms and activities of direct support, e.g. monitoring and mobile phone
applications
• Complemented by clarifying mandates
• As well as, critical analysis
– Impacts of different models
– Identifying aspects of support that are most critical
– Threshold level (non-linearity), below which direct support cannot have significant impact
through financial modelling
• As basis for testing completely new models (double loop learning)
– Improving resource base of districts to provide meaningful support
– Completely new institutional modalities
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15. Implications for Tripe-S
• Assess current direct support mechanisms, their impacts and
levels of resourcing
• Identify possible incremental improvements and test these
– Develop the outline the experiment – with partners
– Impacts and costs
– Assess limitations – real and ideal level of resource needs
• Identify radically different modalities and test these
– Develop the outline the experiment – with partners
– Impacts and costs
– Assess limitations – real and ideal level of resource needs
• Based on this, work on specifications of mandates
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