Sustainable Development Planning & Management

A- Service Governance and Sustainable Development

i. Sustainable Rural Sanitation Service Program – World Bank and the Ministry of Housing: October 2016 – December 2023

Sustainable Rural Sanitation Services Program (SRSSP) is a USD1.2 billion Program), aims at achieving decentralization in capital investment planning and management and deepening accountability of the service providers to customers in the water supply and wastewater sector in Egypt. The first phase of the Programme takes place in three governorates (Behira, Sharqia and Dkahlia) targeting specific rural communities known to be responsible for pollution of the Rosetta Branch of the River Nile. SRSSP if funded by a World Bank loan of USD550m and is the first payment for result (P4R) program in Egypt. The entire program is designed and operated around a set of results and key performance indicators that will be measured to trigger cash transfers. It focuses on decentralization of investment planning and management and introduces fiscal transfers from the Central Government level to the water and sanitation companies to finance their investments for the first time in Egypt. CBI is a member of the Mott-McDonald (UK and the Netherlands) Program Management Consultancy Consortium that also includes GOPA from Germany and Utilities from Egypt. CBI has taken a leading role in proposal writing, negotiation and award procedures. We been responsible for Result Area Two focussing on institutional reform and performance issue, providing expertise covering environmental and social assessment, capacity building and institutional reform, citizen engagement, citizen satisfaction surveys, monitoring and evaluation, land acquisition and resettlement, gender, legal and public administration advisory services, and decentralized sanitation design, finance and procurement among other lines of work. All measures included under Result Area Two have been timely fulfilled by our team of experts and all cash transfers associated with the relevant measures were implemented with a total sum of USD170m during the first 24 months of the Program. The consultant has been requested to submit a proposal to extend our services until December 2023 with additional resources for the technical assistance team.

Client: Ministry of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, Egypt
Lead Firm: Euroconsult- Mott McDonald, the Netherlands

ii. Support to the National Water Resources Plan - EuropeAid/135684/DH/SER/EG: January 2015- December 2017

The water resources plan aimed to organise, at the national and governorate levels, optimal water resource allocation to: (a) manage this valuable resource in a sustainable manner; (b) provide the various customer groups with the water they need (in quantity and quality); and (c) maximise the benefits of the economic activity for all Egyptian people. The contract provided the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI) with technical assistance (TA) for: Updating the existing national water resource plan (2005–2017) and extending it in the framework of the 2050 vision; and Developing regional water resource plans in 6 governorates, representative of the different contexts in the country (Nile Valley, delta, Fayoum, Sinai, coastal zones) The plans elaborated with a participatory approach, with the strong involvement of all stakeholders (other ministries, governorates, large municipalities, civil society, etc.). The TA was tasked with:
• Consolidating existing information regarding water resources (quantity & quality) and water demand in the different project areas.
• Processing and presenting this information in a manner (GIS, maps, tables) that facilitates the decision-making process,organising and facilitating stakeholder consultation.
• Providing the MWRI (at national level and governorate level) with technical support during the WR plan elaboration.
• CBI provided three out of four key experts in the areas of water resources planning, communication and process management, and public finance and administration. In addition, CBI provided a number of short term experts in the areas of training and capacity building, monitoring and evaluation, water resources planning, public finance, and organizational development.

Client: Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, Egypt
Lead Firm: Euroconsult- Mott McDonald, the Netherlands

iii. Enhanced Water Resources Management Project (EWRMP): Global Environmental Facility (GEF) – World Bank, Egypt, January 2014 – December 2016

The objective of the EWRM project was to pilot integrated water resources management (IWRM) in the Nile Delta and to enhance the knowledge and capacity of water sector institutions for IWRM in Egypt. The Project promoted the IWRM principles and practices through institutional and capacity strengthening, and demonstration activities and awareness-raising in selected pilot schemes in the Nile Delta, while improving the coordination among stakeholders. Additionally, technical assistance was provided about relevant studies, capacity building and training of entities in the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, institutes and NWRC. The project had 4 distinctive components. These were (i) the establishment of a knowledge centre on IWRM in the Ministry; (ii) the implementation of IWRM pilot activities in three pilot areas Nekla/Menesi, Okda/Tellin and Khadrawia; (iii) the accomplishment of five technical studies that support policy-making on water resources; and (iv) the capacity building of relevant water resources and local government entities. Institutional development and capacity building were cross cutting themes in all activities of the project. CBI played a leading role in the acquisition phase by being the lead author of the technical proposal, including methodology, log frame, and approach. We coached the international team leader before being interviewed by the client. Our staff provided expertise in institutional reform, social development and community mobilization, capacity building and training, communiction, awareness, legal analysis,public administration and finance, and monitoring and evaluation. CBI staff supported the solid waste management component and the cross-cutting themes of social development and institutional development in all lines of work in the project. We canvased an innovative service governance approach at the local level that utilized existing institutional mechanisms and has proven to be effective and efficient. The approach has been noted by the World Bank and has been recommended to other projects in different sectors.

iv. JISA (Joint Integrated Sector Approach in Water Resources and Irrigation), KfW-funded technical assistance to the Ministry of Water Resources and

This technical assistance project aimed at building capacity ; introducing strategic discipline in capital investment planning and budgeting to enable coordinated planning ; investment (irrigation/water) projects to access funds from core budget allocations and donor funding and evaluating budget support programs and operations. A team from CBI, in collaboration with experts from Mott McDonald, evaluated budget support programs and operations, and analyzed the budgeting and planning functions in different authorities in the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation. CBI provided lead input on institutional support and capacity building:conducted demand assessment (status of water resources management and planing needs, stakeholders’ analysis (interests and functions)); proposed institutional framework, operational structure and intervention matrix; designed actors; collaboration matrix; assisted the Ministry’s contracting authorities in defining and articulating their capital investment needs; developed and presented a joint planning framework; defined concepts and implementation modalities; and provided a road map and action plan for implementation.

Client: Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, Egypt
Lead Firm: Euroconsult- Mott McDonald, the Netherlands

v. Improve the Quality of the Educational offer of three technical schools and three training Centers to provide relevant and practical teaching in a

The objective of the project was to increase the supply for the HCWW of skilful technicians, trained and educated by the affiliated technical vocational schools and HCWW training centres, tailoring them to the present needs within HCWW i.e.providing relevant and practical training for the human resources in the drinking water and treatment of waste water sub sectors in a sustainable way. This overall objective was set in the institutional context of the need for relevant practical qualified, highlymotivated and skilled staff in the water supply and sanitation sector, to provide the type of manpower needed to work towards sustainable, integrated water management in Egypt. The project was financed by the Nuffic mechanism of the Netherlands. The winning consortium comprised Euroconuslt –Mott McDonald of the Netherlands, CBI and Chemonics Egypt. CBI played a critical role in proposal writing and conceptualization of the project approach. In addition, we provided the Deputy Team Leader, the only full timer in the project, and a number of experts in the areas of competency-based curricula development, quality assurance, strategic and business planning, Gender analysis, pedagogy, teaching methods and teachers training, school accreditation, and IT.

Client: HCWW-Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities, Egypt
Lead Firm: Euroconsult- Mott McDonald, the Netherlands

vi. Increase Capacity of the Training Sector for Water Resources and Irrigation (TSWRI) to Provide High Quality Training for the Human Resources in

The overall scope of the project was to support the TSWRI, as a training centre within the MWRI, being in the dual process of expanding and anchoring its operations, to develop adequate competencies, and open its operations towards the market. The proposed approach was about supporting the TSWRI realizes its vision in becoming “catalyst of change for the water sector in the Nile Region”. It was designed to provide assistance in two main domains:
i) Institutional Development and Strengthening the support structure; and ii) Curriculum renewal and the introduction of Modern Learning Techniques (MLT). The project was financed by the Nuffic mechanism of the Netherlands. The winning consortium comprised the Maastricht School of Management, IHE of UNESCO, Ecorys Ltd Rotterdam, CBI and Ain Sham University. CBI expertise was involved in various areas of implementing the project. We helped the TSWRI develop and conceptualize the project to suite the needs of the Sector.

Client: TSWRI – Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, Egypt
Lead Firm: Maastricht School of Management, the Netherlands.

vii. Improved Water and Wastewater Services Program (IWSP) – Technical Assistant Component for the Holding Company of Water and

The main objectives of IWSP were capacity development in investment planning, steering and monitoring at the HCWW level and in investment planning, implementation and operation capabilities at the ACs level. The overall thrust was to encourage decentralization of investment management function and processes down to the ACs; while supporting HCWW to augment their capabilities in planning, steering and monitoring. This was a new mode of operation within the HCWW and the ACs. The business as usual situation was still very much centralized, especially when it comes to investment management. However, the IWSP approach was informed by the wider and future strategy of the HCWW and the strategic orientation towards moving from directing and controlling into enabling, delegating and supporting the ACs. Overtime, the ACs are expected to handle all investment management functions on their own. IWSP provided a context to pilot this reform and to prove that it was possible and doable. The investment management process within IWSP laid the procedural and institutional foundation for a future wider reform within the water sector in Egypt, hence the significance of the organizational capacity building track that cut across all functions and processes involved. CBI was a member of the winning consortium led by Dorsch Consultants, Germany. We participated in preparing the substantive parts of the proposal and provided experts in: institutional development, organizational assessment, process mapping and analyses, financial management, procurement, developing the Manual of procedures, communication, asset management, developing of programme management information system (PMIS), and other areas within the team of experts.

Client: HCWW – Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities, Egypt
Lead Firm: Dorsch Consulting, Germany.

viii. Improving Water Supply in the Tanga City, Tanzania – Social and Environmental Assessment (2009-10)

The Ministry of Water in Tanzania announced an international bid to provide consultancy services to a project entitled “Improvement of Water Supply and Sewage in Tanga City”. To qualify for international funding, the project needed a social and environmental impact assessment study. CBI was part of the winning international consortium that provided services to undertake the study. We provided a team of regional experts to work with international experts on a number of inter-related tasks of the SIA and EIA. The project embodied a number of ecologically fragile locations and hot spots that required serious mitigation measures. The team worked also with a number of local experts to capture a number of social issues with a special reference to gender and cultural impact analysis. We organized, moderated and documented a series of public hearings and consultations to enable local voices and effective participation of stakeholders. The study was endorsed by the client and used in application for funding.

Client: Ministry of Water, Tanzania

ix. National Water Resources Plan (NWRP) – Coordination Project (January 2009 – December 2013)

The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI) developed the NWRP in 2005. The Prime Minister issued a formal statement approving the plan and inviting all related ministries and parties concerned to contribute to plan implementation. The project is about developing the conditions required to realize this objective of multi stakeholder cooperation to implement the plan. The project functions as a catalyst to support translation of the national plan into operational plans at both central and governorate levels. It works with relevant stakeholders at all levels of government, and civil society to enhance their capacity in planning and decision making. A special focus will be on piloting this process in three governorates namely Qena, Behira and Fayoum. The Dutch Embassy provided cash transfer of about EURO 3.2m to the MWRI to finance the project. CBI is a member in the winning international consortium. We hosted the proposal writing team at CBI premises and organized numerous brainstorming meetings to help develop and produce the proposal, and authored the staffing strategy. We also authored parts of the proposal that are related to the macro policy context with a special reference to decentralization and improved local governance in Egypt and highlighted the relevance of the project to on-going policy and institutional dynamics. CBI mobilized the Deputy Team Leader – Senior Communication and Process Management Expert, and the Senior Public Administration and Institutional Development Expert. In addition, we mobilized a number of short term experts in the areas of public administration, Gender, and Training in addition to resource persons in water economics, legal analysis, policy development, strategic management, municipal finance and public finance.

x. Water Users Organizations in Fayoum (Dutch Cooperation and the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation - MWRI)

The international consortium of Euroconsult MMD and CBI won this four-year project (January 2007-December10) to strengthen the water resources governance and management in Fayoum (a rural governorate in the immediate south of Cairo). The project involved clarifying regulatory frameworks to finance water user associations, water boards, and women groups to enable their sustained involved in governing and managing irrigation and drainage process up to the district level. The intervention also aims at restructuring water districts throughout the Governorate to enable integrated water resources management. The institutional and organizational development processes will be complemented by enhancing human resources of those involved in daily governance and management of water including members of the water boards (i.e. private citizens) and civil servants. There are other numerical targets of the project related to increasing numbers of water boards, women groups, water councils, and integrated water districts. The MWRI has been encouraging decentralized irrigation and drainage practices since late 1990s. However, lack of a legal framework of water boards does not allow them to have a sustainable source of finance through user fees to cover cost of simple maintenance operation (e.g., weed control, removal of waste from water ways, limited surfacing of small miskas, etc). Cultural and political barriers are affecting the process of reform. CBI presented an approach based on creating alliances at the field and policy levels to lobby for regulatory reform, in addition to organizational and human resources development efforts. The project worked on breaking the deadlock against a law that has been waiting in the People’s Assembly on this issue since 2001 through policy advocacy and sensitization of parliamentarians, civil society entities and other opinion makers to highlight values of self reliance while keeping the state responsibility at a higher scale of service delivery in the water and drainage system.

Client: Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation
Lead Firm: Euroconsult – MottMacDonald - UK

xi. Institutional Set up of the Toshka Project, UNDP – Cairo and Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation

The Government of Egypt (GOE) has invested LE 6 Billion in providing national infrastructure to land reclamation mega-scheme of Toshka. These investments, coupled with other incentives such as low priced lands, water and electricity attracted investment. However, expected outcomes of the project, especially those related to creating settled communities and enlarging inhabited areas of Egypt, are not being realized. The GOE decided that there was a need for an institutional set-up that governs the public-private partnership situation in Toshka and increase accountability of investors to social outcomes of development. The professional support of CBI was requested by the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, through UNDP-Cairo, to develop a number of such scenarios in consultation with stakeholders, and to clarify roles and responsibilities of the public and private sides in each of them. Three options were considered: a national agency, a holding company and a special economic zone. The output was presented to HE the Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, and the Cabinet of Ministers. CBI’s lead staff performed the role of the team leader. Two other experts were named by CBI to provide knowledge and advice in the areas of legal analysis and cost recovery of water. The team articulated the negotiation position of the GOE with investors to commit them to the proposed institutional set-up, and trained officials on negotiation skills.

Client: UNDP and MWRI

xii. Institutional Capacity Building of the Egyptian Water Regulatory Authority (EWRA), Phase I Project – EuropeAid / 125890/DSER/EG

The first phase of the project (January – December 2009) was about supporting the Egyptian Water Regulatory Authority (EWRA) in establishing the required organizational structure, regulatory systems, and management and human resource processes, by providing technical assistance with the emphasis on implementation of the regulatory functions. The overall goal was the development of sustainable world class water and wastewater services in Egypt, through providing the development basis for the EWRA to become an effective economic and drinking water quality regulator. The services provided by the PMP-MMD-CBI consortium included:
- Review existing organizational set up and suggest improvements according to functions and responsibilities.
- Review existing reporting routines between utilities and EWRA and suggest improvements.
- Develop cost reporting and audit procedures.
- Develop methodology and procedures for tarrif setting; and to introduce economic regulations principles.
- Review performance monitoring system of the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater; and assist selecting the most appropriate performance indicators.
- Assist EWRA conduct risk assessment (chemical and Biological hazards associated with water consumption, ensuring reliability and accuracy of water analysis result received; managing water contamination incidents and designing a research action plan to recover water problems.
- Upgrade the existing program checklists and assist EWRA in developing audit reports accordingly.

Client: EWRA–Ministry of Housing, Utilities and New Communities, Egypt
Lead Firm: PMP-Mott McDonald

xiii. Management Training in the Water Sector For more than two centuries, entities in the water sector in Egypt have been technical organization

Two ministries are involved in the sector: Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI) and the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities (MHUUC). The former works on irrigation and drainage, and the former works on water supply and sanitation. The staff of these organizations is mainly civil engineers and administrators. This profile was suitable during complete state monopoly on all aspects of services production and delivery throughout all tiers of the system. With the quest of the Government of Egypt to devolve responsibility and resources to water users in rural and urban areas, there are many changes that require a different set of skills and ideas among staff of related organizations. There are novel policy issues facing the sector such as environmental management, gender integration, cost recovery, partnership with civil society organizations to take part in service delivery, etc. The training centre of the MWRI has been offering technical training on engineering and physical science subjects since its inception a decade ago. Young professionals are not able to gain the required knowledge or skills they need in the field through the provided supply driven training. In addition, promotion is based on seniority as opposed to merit-based. There is no human resource management system in the two related ministries to define career path and performance-based incentive structures of staff. An international consortium of CBI from Egypt, CES and IP from Germany won a GTZ-funded four-year project to reform the human resources development and management system in the MWRI (2007-2011). The project prepared and provided management training course to selected and future leaders of the Ministry. It also trained a number of trainers who are now capable of delivering management training on their own to ensure sustainability.

Client: GTZ and MWRI Lead Firm: IP-Germany

xiv. Implementation Mechanisms of Urban Development Plans in Southern Egypt (2002-2005)

Leading staff of CBI developed and coordinated implementation of a three-year policy development project developed in partnership between UNDP and the Ministry of Housing (Organization of New Urban Communities ; General Organization of Physical Planning). Launched in mid 2002, the project was a major milestone for encouraging demographic balance in Egypt to attract investment and re-settle populations in new urban centers outside the congested Nile Valley. It focused on developing proposals of legislative, organizational and procedural changes to create a more enabling environment to investors and local authorities to implement urban development plans. The project also strived towards institutionalizing a more active role for civil society in the urban planning process and in updating format of urban development plans to include local actions and participating mechanisms. Partner of the project included GOPP, Farafra City in the New Valley Governorate, and the New Assuit City. The project was concluded in 2005.

Client: UNDP – Cairo ; Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities

xv. Strengthening Strategic Planning Capacity in the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) Within the framework of the US-AID supported

(with built in capacity to enable monitoring and evaluation using indicators and means of verifications) and a list of projects that can be used to mobilize resources in negotiations with the Ministry of Planning, and external support agencies. The team adopted participatory approaches in this effort. We also supported EEAA to establish a mechanism of strategic planning to secure sustainability of practice and impact in the form of a Strategic Planning Task Force. A CEO Decree was issued with mandates of the task force in 2003. Working procedures of the task force were also prepared, discussed and endorsed by EEAA. The team engaged all departments and units of the agency in the process of preparing these deliverables. More than 60 consultations were held. About 120 staff members of EEAA took part. The team organized a workshop to present outcome of the effort and to help EEAA launches the strategic planning system.

Client: EEAA ; USAID
Lead Firm: International Resources Group (IRG), USA

xvi. Result Based Management (RBM) in the National Council of Women CBI senior staff provided technical assistance and training to NCW in the area

The need to introduce RBM resulted from an evaluation of an institutional strengthening component of a two-year collaborative UN effort that targeted NCW between 2000 and 2002. The rationale was to strengthen self monitoring and evaluation capacity and to develop tradition of work and strategic planning to enhance focus on results,and avoid ad-hoc initiatives and descriptive reporting on activities and outputs. CBI staff prepared training a module on preparing strategic and work plans using RBM methodology, and delivered two training workshops to train all departments, and selected members of NCW. This effort also covered methodology of developing indicators and means of verification of activities. The success of this work lead to a presentation to the Chairperson of NCW, H.E. Suzane Mubarak, the First Lady of Egypt, and a continuation of effort towards institutionalization of strategic planning utilizing a World Bank grant (through the IDF mechanism). 150 trainees received 30 training workshops over the subsequent two years. The focus was on Gender Strategic Planning, targeting departments, committees, branches of NCW and Equal Opportunity Units in all ministries and national agencies. Senior staff of CBI was hired by NCW to coordinate and lead this two year effort (2004-6).

Client: UNDP, World Bank and NCW

xvii. Inter-agency Coordination in Manchieyt Nasser, Cairo, Egypt Strategic planning for local development assumes horizontal coordination among

The absence of such coordination weakens scope and validity of strategic planning if it was not of a single agency (as it was presented in NCW and EEAA above). This case was exemplified by the plight of 2 million people living in the largest slum (or informal settlement) in Egypt at the very heart of Cairo, in the Manchieyt Nasser area. Tension and lack of trust mounted between the local settlers and government agencies due to lack of legal land tenure and a legacy of involuntary resettlement threats. By late 1990s, the Government of Egypt was interested in planning the area for upgrading. This meant for settlers a prelude for demolishing their hard-earned homes and forced eviction. Senior CBI staff provided support to the General Organization for Physical Planning (GOPP) to engage the local settlers with government agencies in participatory dialogue. A Partners Group was conceptualized by CBI and GOPP and decreed by the Minister of Housing as a mechanism of participatory planning and decision making. Trust and acceptance ensued and developed over the sessions of the Partners Group in which representatives of settlers were brought together around the same table with representatives of the government agencies for the first time. The initiative of participatory planning and upgrading resulted in minimum modification of constructed homes to allow for access roads for fire fighting and ambulance vehicles into the area. Conflicts were resolved and consensus were built. Our staff moderated long and overheated sessions to reach agreement on sensitive details of physical development and policies. GTZ and other donors benefited from this mechanism and were attracted to the area for further support and introduction of infrastructure for basic services. The local people realized their potentials for effective participation in planning and management of local development. This approach was institutionalized in the newly issued Urban Planning Code.

Client: MHUUC, GTZ and GOPP

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