Stop the Rot – Request for Proposals now open

Overview

Stop the Rot is a 15-month initiative that was launched in January 2021, by Ask for Water GmbH and the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN). It was designed to document the scale and extent of rapid handpump corrosion and the use of poor quality handpump components in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), as well as to identify actions to address them.

Request for Proposals

Stop the Rot is now looking for a consultant or consultants to undertake a short study to find answers to the following questions:

  1. What are the requirements for making handpump components as conforming to Indian Standards, and are they effective?
  2. What are the responsibilities of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in relation to public domain handpump manufacture in India, particularly the widely used India Mark and Afridev pumps? To what extent does BIS undertake and document its responsibilities, and what human resources are expended for this?
  3. Which factories are being inspected, how often, by whom, and is the information from inspections available to the public, or potential buyers? Are there examples of factories which have been requested to change procedures?
  4. Are regulations such as the issuing of licences and certificates in India (as indicated above) being enforced, and if so, how could this help to ensure quality of exports to SSA countries?
  5. Which SSA importers require pre-shipment inspection and is it effective? Is there any evidence of bribery or other forms of corruption in pre-shipment inspection where it exists?
  6. Are there any incentives to prevent low quality handpumps and spares from being manufactured and exported from India?

For more information and to download the Request for Proposals, click here.