The WASHCost action research project

The WASHCost project is involving decision makers and other stakeholders in analysing data on costs and support them to use the outcomes in the planning and governance of WASH service delivery. WASHCost will embed improved pro-poor decision-making processes in lead WASH organisations.

WASHCost has an inclusive approach to learning and changing practice and a broader objective of more sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene services for the poor.

The project is building communities of practice with key stakeholders in each country to obtain, validate and make use of high quality data. Costs will be disaggregated and benchmarks will be set which will allow costs in one project or setting to be compared with those in another. A range of statistical and modelling techniques will establish the relative importance of factors that influence these costs.

The expected impacts over five years include significant improvements in planning processes, decision-making, cost-efficiency, sustainability of WASH services for poorer social groups and transparency, with an increased ability to tackle corruption. Within ten years good quality data will be used globally in the WASH sector to achieve a 25% improvement in cost-efficiency, in circumstances where a quarter of WASH implementation plans will be explicitly linked to unit cost analysis and poverty reduction strategies.

Project objectives

From 2008-2012 the following project objectives are being achieved, involving a set of 49 activities leading to outputs

1. Inception phase 9 months

To select final countries (Regions/States), to develop local ownership for project objectives/activities and, thereby, to start the process of embedding the project in lead government and non-government WASH organisations.

2. Analysing existing data

In the countries selected, to consolidate existing information on life-cycle costs of sustainable WASH services in rural and peri-urban areas focusing on services that reach the poor.

3. Methodologies and training

To develop, test and finalise methodologies for data collection, agree on pilot and project areas for data collection and train country teams for data collection.

4. Data collection

In the selected study areas, to gather detailed information to inform better decision making, on: 1) The disaggregated life-cycle costs of different levels of WASH service delivery and 2) The factors affecting these costs.

5. Analysis and practical use

To synthesize and analyse disaggregated WASH cost information and knowledge, and develop practical recommendations on the use of this information and knowledge at all levels

6. Embedding

Promote the use of information, testing and replication of the approach within the country and in other ongoing WASH implementation programmes to influence political and governance processes that relate to WASH service delivery and prompt measurable improvements in current planning and budgeting practices.

7. Learning and sharing

Continuous throughout the project: to support learning activities by documenting, publishing and disseminate key findings of the study.

8. Impact assessment

Continuous throughout the project: to assess the impacts of the WASHCost Project at all levels.