Solid Waste Management Consultancy

Solid Waste Management Consultancy

Background

The Swiss Red Cross (SRC) is a member of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. It is part of a worldwide network of 190 National Societies. The purpose of Swiss Red Cross’ activities is to protect the lives, health and dignity of human beings worldwide, the Swiss Red Cross is active in many humanitarian programs. For many years, the Swiss Red Cross in Vietnam has worked in collaboration with the Vietnamese Red Cross particularly in the sectors of shelter, rural development, disaster risk reduction, and encouraging programs to prevent and alleviate human suffering.

The Swiss Red Cross has a functional office in Hanoi in charge of coordination aspects with the Vietnamese Red Cross, the wider Red Cross Movement in Vietnam, and other DRR stakeholders.  Since the beginning of November 2015, the Swiss Red Cross together with the Vietnamese Red Cross has been implementing a Community Based Risk Management project in vulnerable communes of the province of Ca Mau.  This project is focused on strengthening the capacity of communes to prepare for and respond to disasters. Vulnerability and Capacity Assessments undertaken prior to the commencement of this project demonstrated clear needs in water and sanitation in at least 3 communes.

In response to this in January 2015 SRC and VNRC commissioned a WASH Assessment in 3 target communes.  This assessment revealed that the communes currently lack sustainable and effective waste disposal practices. There is no centralized system for dealing with solid waste and while there exists some informal waste picking and private recycling enterprises, the bulk of solid waste is either dumped, burnt, or buried. Whilst regulatory policies exist, implementation and enforcement is not common. As a result, households commonly use their own means of waste disposal, resulting in waste being dumped in nearby rivers or lakes, or discarded at sites near homes.

In April 2017, VNRC and SRC added a second component to the project focusing on WASH in 3 communes.  The WASH component of the project has three key outcomes: Improving hygiene and sanitation knowledge and practices in target hamlets; Improving access to and sustainable management of water and sanitation at the commune level and increasing local partner capacities in sanitation and hygiene promotion to reduce the overall vulnerability to disaster risk in target communes.

To achieve improved knowledge of and greater access to sanitation within three target communes, SRC requires an assessment to be undertaken on current Solid Waste Management.  The objectives of the consultancy are:

1. Undertake an analysis of the composition of household waste from three communes

2. Provide a comprehensive brief on the legal, regulatory, and enforcement system for solid waste management in the province

3. Undertake a comprehensive mapping of stakeholders in the Solid Waste Management sector in Ca Mau province and the 3 target communes

4. Assess and summarize the current waste management system paying close attention to existing and planned infrastructure and; current collection systems

Job title:    Consultancy – WASH Baseline Survey

Project:    Building resilience through community based WASH and household mitigation measures in Ca Mau Province

Location:    3 communes in Ca Mau province

1. Tasks

Key Tasks include:

1. Analyze the composition of household waste

• Analyze the composition of solid waste disposed of by households in 3 communes identifying different waste streams including compostable organics, non-compostable organics, recyclable and non-recyclable inorganics

• Quantify and provide summary charts and graphs depicting waste disposed of in each stream, also providing a further breakdown of waste materials within each stream

2. Provide a comprehensive brief on the legal, regulatory, and enforcement system for solid waste management in the province

• Undertake desktop review of relevant legal and policy instruments that have a bearing on current practices and that will have bearing on moving toward a more sustainable solid waste management system in the communes

3. Undertake a comprehensive mapping of stakeholders in the Solid Waste Management sector in Ca Mau province and the 3 target communes

• Identify key stakeholders in the SWM sector within the province, with a focus at commune level and including stakeholders from both the formal and informal sectors

4. Assess and summarize the current waste management system

• Conduct interviews with key stakeholders in government from the provincial to the commune level to determine current and planned waste management systems including any infrastructure and collection systems

2. Methodology

All applications should clearly outline the proposed methodology for completing the key tasks.  Special attention should be focused on the method that will be utilized to assess the waste composition providing information on the following:

• Details of the sampling method for the composition analysis, including quantities to be sampled etc.  

• Requirements for the involvement of local authorities in terms of time and or in terms of public lands required for sorting

• Existing procedures or processes to respond in a timely manner to queries or complaints from the public in relation to the analysis

• Details of health and safety procedures in place to protect the public and those undertaking analysis

• Plans for disposing of waste that will be collected for sampling purposed

All applications should also include a detailed breakdown of time required to complete each task as well as a clear costing for each component.  

3. Deliverables

Comprehensive assessment report including the following:

1. Overview of the regulatory and policy instruments relevant to SWM within the province

2. Description of current solid waste management systems in three communes

3. Detailed analysis of stakeholders in SWM in 3 communes in Ca Mau province

4. In depth analysis of the waste composition in 3 communes in Ca Mau province

5. Concrete recommendations regarding how to improve SWM in 3 communes

4. Required Qualifications

Essential

The successful candidate/s will have the following:

• Qualifications in Waste Management; Civil or Environmental Engineering; Environmental Science/Management or related discipline

• Extensive experience in working in the SWM sector as well as demonstrated knowledge of the existing SWM landscape in Vietnam

• Demonstrated experience of leading and undertaking SWM analyses in rural areas to inform project/program development especially in the development sector.

• Proven experience working with diverse stakeholder groups including NGOs, Local Government and the Private Sector

Desirable

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Vietnamese

• Knowledge of the Red Cross Movement

5. Tentative Schedule

It is expected that the research and analysis will be undertaken in July or early August of 2017.

6. Reporting and Management

The consultants will report to the SRC Country Coordinator and liaise closely with other SRC technical staff and project partner in Hanoi and at the field level.  SRC will provide effective administrative support for the consultancy.

7. Requirements for Applications

Interested parties are invited to contact for further information regarding the project.  Suppliers wishing to be considered for this contract must forward the following:

• A cover letter detailing interest in the project and relevant experience

• A detailed proposal and plan of work highlighting the proposed approach and methodology and number of days estimated number of days required to complete each task identified.

• CVs of the individual/s proposed to undertake the work.

• An outline and examples of any similar work undertaken by the supplier (if not included with CVs).

• A detailed cost estimate of the work to be undertaken including all proposed travel and accommodation

Applications are to be sent to Hoa Chu Thanh [email protected] [1] and Ruth Lane [email protected] [2] by 4 August 2017 at 05.00 PM.

Announcement - Vietnamese version [3]