Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to appoint a service provider to conduct a comprehensive Human Technical Capacity Assessment in five Water Service Authorities (WSAs) within Mpumalanga Province. The assessment aims to evaluate existing staffing, skills, qualifications, and capacity gaps in municipal technical departments, particularly focusing on water, sanitation, and related infrastructure sectors. The goal is to identify skills shortages, overstaffing, and capacity gaps to inform capacity-building initiatives, develop skills development plans, and enhance service delivery effectiveness.

Scope

The scope of work includes:

• Conducting Human Technical Capacity Assessments in five specified WSAs across five districts in Mpumalanga.
• Assessing powers and functions between WSAs and Water Service Providers (WSPs).
• Evaluating organograms of technical directorates, including operational units responsible for water treatment works, water supply, sanitation, operations, and maintenance.
• Reviewing job descriptions, professional registrations, and skills audits of technical personnel.
• Developing a Skills and Capacity Development Plan tailored to each municipality’s needs.
• Recommending training, workshops, and courses to address identified skills gaps.
• Organizing stakeholder engagement sessions, including presentation and adoption of the final assessment plan.
• Providing intervention action plans with capacity implementation budgets and prioritization strategies based on assessment results.
• Delivering a final comprehensive report with findings, recommendations, and capacity-building strategies within a maximum of four months.

Technical Requirements

The technical requirements include:

• Development of a detailed methodology and approach aligned with the scope of work, demonstrating understanding of infrastructure project planning, structuring, financing, and transactional support.
• Preparation of an inception report within two weeks of contract signing.
• Assessment reports covering powers and functions, organograms, job descriptions, skills audits, and capacity gaps.
• Development of a Skills and Capacity Plan with actionable recommendations.
• Facilitation of stakeholder sessions, including presentation and adoption of assessment findings.
• Provision of a project implementation schedule with tasks, milestones, responsibilities, and timelines in Gantt chart format.
• Capacity building and skills transfer components, including training schedules, learning outcomes, and methods.
• Final close-out report with recommendations for training and capacity development.

Skills Requirements

The tender specifies the following skills and experience requirements for the project team:

• Project Manager/Team Leader: Certified project management qualification, proven experience in managing large-scale infrastructure projects, and at least 3 years of relevant project management experience.
• Technical Capacity Assessment Expert: Qualifications in Civil Engineering or related fields, with at least 10 years of experience in infrastructure project preparation, structuring, and support, and registration with relevant professional bodies (e.g., ECSA or SACPCMP).
• Human Resources/Workforce Planning Expert: Qualifications in HR, industrial psychology, or related fields, with experience in workforce assessments, skills gap analysis, and strategic HR planning.
• Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Specialist: Qualifications in development studies, statistics, or related disciplines, with experience in designing and conducting assessments in public service contexts.
• Additional Resources: CVs of at least three specialists with relevant experience, including at least one registered with ECSA or SACPCMP.

Furthermore, team members must demonstrate experience in infrastructure projects, capacity assessments, and support within the public or private sectors, with a proven track record of similar projects.