World Bank RFP: Strengthening Public Financial Management for Climate-Resilient WASH Service Delivery in the Sahel

The World Bank has released a high-urgency Request for Proposals (RFP) titled 'Strengthening Public Financial Management for Climate-Resilient WASH Service Delivery in the Sahel'. This ambitious initiative targets six fragile Sahelian countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal. The region faces severe climate vulnerabilities, including recurrent droughts, floods, and desertification, which exacerbate existing water and sanitation deficits. According to UNICEF, only 50% of the Sahel's population has access to basic water services, and even fewer to adequate sanitation. Weak public financial management (PFM) systems compound these challenges, as climate adaptation funds are often underutilized, misallocated, or lost to inefficiency. The RFP seeks to finance a comprehensive program that strengthens PFM institutions at national and local levels to ensure climate-resilient WASH investments are planned, budgeted, executed, and monitored effectively. The program scope includes developing climate budget tagging (CBT) methodologies, training government officials, upgrading financial management information systems (FMIS), and piloting gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) in priority WASH sectors. The deadline is July 15, 2026, and urgency is marked as HIGH due to the accelerating climate crisis and the World Bank's commitment to its Climate Change Action Plan. Bidders must demonstrate extensive experience in PFM reform, WASH service delivery, and capacity building in fragile contexts. They must also propose a robust results framework with clear KPIs, such as improved budget execution rates, increased climate expenditure tracking, and enhanced local government capacity. The RFP encourages consortia that combine international technical expertise with deep local knowledge. GSLI's courses in Financial Management for NGOs, WASH, and Monitoring & Evaluation can help bidders strengthen their technical approach and demonstrate institutional capacity. This overview sets the stage for a detailed breakdown of eligibility, priorities, and implementation strategy, which follow in subsequent sections.

This RFP is primarily directed at international and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), consulting firms, research institutions, and consortia with proven track records in public financial management (PFM) reform, climate adaptation, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) service delivery in low-income or fragile states. Eligible applicants must be legally registered entities in their country of operation, with at least five years of demonstrated experience in similar large-scale, multi-country programs. Specific target organizations include: (1) International development consultancies (e.g., those with experience in PFM diagnostic tools like PEFA or climate budget tagging); (2) NGOs specializing in WASH infrastructure and community engagement (e.g., WaterAid, Oxfam, IRC WASH); (3) Academic or research institutions with expertise in climate finance and governance (e.g., universities with Sahel-focused research centers); (4) Local civil society organizations (CSOs) and networks that can provide grassroots perspectives and ensure social inclusion. The World Bank strongly encourages partnerships that combine international technical expertise with deep local knowledge of Sahelian political economies, cultural contexts, and logistical realities. Applicants should be capable of operating in multiple Sahel countries simultaneously, managing complex stakeholder relationships (from national ministries to village water committees), and delivering results under tight timelines. Financial eligibility requires audited annual accounts for the past three years demonstrating a minimum annual turnover of USD 5 million and positive net assets. The bidding organization must not be debarred or suspended by any multilateral development bank. Additionally, the lead applicant must have a physical presence or established partnership in at least two of the target countries to ensure contextual grounding. Joint ventures or consortia must designate a single lead entity responsible for contractual compliance and reporting.

The World Bank's overarching priority for this RFP is to institutionalize climate-responsive public financial management (PFM) systems that ensure efficient, transparent, and accountable use of climate and WASH funds in the Sahel. Key investment KPIs include: (1) **Climate Budget Tagging (CBT)** – Develop and pilot a methodology to tag climate-related expenditures within national WASH budgets, enabling tracking of at least 80% of climate-relevant spending by Year 3. (2) **PFM Capacity Building** – Train at least 500 government officials (from ministries of finance, water, and local governments) in climate-informed budgeting, procurement, financial reporting, and audit. Target that 70% of trainees demonstrate improved competency post-training. (3) **Fiscal Decentralization** – Strengthen local government PFM systems to manage climate-resilient WASH investments, including establishing dedicated WASH funds with transparent disbursement mechanisms. (4) **Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB)** – Integrate gender analysis into PFM processes, ensuring that at least 40% of WASH budget allocations address gender-specific needs (e.g., safe sanitation for women and girls). (5) **Digital PFM Tools** – Implement or upgrade financial management information systems (FMIS) in at least three pilot countries to support real-time monitoring of climate WASH expenditures. The donor expects bidders to propose a theory of change that links PFM reforms to tangible WASH service improvements (e.g., reduced waterborne diseases, increased access to safely managed water). Alignment with national development plans (e.g., Niger's Renaissance Program, Burkina Faso's National Economic and Social Development Plan) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 6, 13, and 16) is mandatory. The program must also foster south-south knowledge exchange, with KPIs tracking the number of peer-learning events and joint planning sessions among Sahel countries.

Eligibility for this World Bank RFP is governed by strict financial, spatial, and corporate legal criteria. **Financial Requirements**: Bidders must demonstrate a minimum annual turnover of USD 5 million for the past three fiscal years, supported by audited financial statements from a recognized independent auditor. The organization must have a current ratio (current assets/current liabilities) of at least 1.2 and a debt-to-equity ratio not exceeding 2.0. Joint ventures must collectively meet these thresholds, with the lead entity holding at least 51% of the contractual responsibility. **Spatial Requirements**: The lead applicant must have an operational presence in at least two of the six target Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal) through a registered office, permanent staff, or a formal memorandum of understanding with a local partner. Project activities may extend to other Sahel countries if justified. **Legal Requirements**: Bidders must be legally incorporated as a non-profit or for-profit entity (excluding public sector bodies) and must not be listed on the World Bank's list of debarred or suspended firms. They must comply with the World Bank's Anti-Corruption Guidelines and Integrity Principles. Additionally, bidders must have a proven record of implementing donor-funded projects (preferably World Bank, African Development Bank, or EU) of similar magnitude (budget over USD 3 million) in fragile or conflict-affected states. Prior direct experience in PFM reform is mandatory; organizations can demonstrate this through past projects involving PEFA assessments, budget transparency, or public expenditure tracking. The RFP also requires that the bidding team includes at least two senior experts with a master's degree in public finance, economics, or a related field and a minimum of 10 years of experience in PFM in developing countries. Language proficiency in French (the working language of the Sahel) and English is required. Eligibility extends to consortia, but collaboration agreements must be signed and submitted with the proposal. Finally, the bidder must not have a conflict of interest, such as being a government entity that would directly benefit from the PFM reforms.

To secure this World Bank RFP and deliver transformative impact, bidders should follow a strategic roadmap integrated with GSLI's capacity-building offerings. **Step 1: Rapid Needs Assessment & Partnership Formation (0–2 months)** – Immediately assemble a consortium that blends international PFM expertise with deep Sahelian local knowledge. Conduct a desktop diagnostic using available World Bank PFM assessments (e.g., PEFA reports) and WASH sector analyses. Identify gaps in climate budget tagging, gender-responsive budgeting, and digital FMIS. GSLI's course on **Financial Management for NGOs** can equip local partners with fundamental fiscal controls, while the **WASH** course ensures technical vocabulary alignment. **Step 2: Proposal Development & Capacity Building (2–4 months)** – Develop a results-based proposal with a clear theory of change linking PFM reforms to WASH outcomes. Use GSLI's **Writing Winning Proposals** course to strengthen the narrative, results framework, and budget narrative. Simultaneously, enroll key consortium staff in **Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E)** to design robust indicators (e.g., number of climate-tagged budgets, percentage of local governments with functional FMIS). This step includes pre-proposal training for local partners on World Bank fiduciary requirements, leveraging GSLI's **Grants Management** course. **Step 3: Implementation Start-Up (4–6 months)** – Once awarded, deploy a core team to establish project management units in pilot countries. Use GSLI's **Project Management for Development** course to standardize methodologies across countries, ensuring adherence to timelines and deliverables. Conduct baseline studies using the M&E framework developed earlier. GSLI's **Procurement & Supply Chain** course can train government counterparts on World Bank procurement guidelines, reducing fiduciary risks. **Step 4: Scalable Execution & Learning (6–36 months)** – Implement the work plan in phases: first, climate budget tagging pilots in two countries; second, large-scale training of government officials; third, rollout of digital FMIS. Integrate GSLI's **Public Health & Epidemiology** course to bring a health impact lens to WASH investments. Document lessons learned and adapt strategies using adaptive management principles. Throughout, GSLI's **Fundraising & Resource Mobilization** course can help partners sustain the initiative beyond the project period. The roadmap emphasizes continuous learning loops, with quarterly reviews against KPIs and annual independent evaluations. By embedding GSLI courses into the project lifecycle, bidders demonstrate commitment to capacity strengthening and ensure that local institutions can sustain PFM reforms long after the project ends.